She's mine!
by ethereal infernia
Summary: NejiSakuSasu story. Neji and Sasuke hate her at first but ends up fighting each other for her love! Who would Sakura choose? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

A.N.: Hey everyone! This is me! Ethereal Infernia! I can't help myself so I started my next story while I am still trying to finish my other story: Retrieving of what has been lost. Do check it out when you have the chance!

Thanks to all who's going to review and to all readers! NO FLAMERS ALLOWED! K?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Age of the characters:

Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata-16 years old.

Tenten, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee- 17 years old

Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino- 16 years old

Some other character's ages would be told in the story

LEGEND:

'_**Inner Sakura's thoughts'**_

'_Normal thoughts'_

"Speaking"

**Actions, sounds etc…**

**RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!**

Uchiha Sasuke slammed his hand on his alarm clock as it became quiet. He groaned as he sleepily opened his eyes and sat up, running a hand through his disheveled hair. His bedroom isn't that big, with a queen sized bed covered in black sheets, and everything he needs is inside, he doesn't have anything to complain about it.

Black sheets, yes, quite creepy. No. TOTALLY CREEPY. But he likes black so why not? It looks elegant—to him. (A.N.: I think black sheets are elegant too! But it is quite creepy though)

And on with the story!

His apartment has mostly blue, black and grey accents and it looked so… dark. He opened the curtains as the sunlight went in, and he proceeded to do his usual morning routine.

Sakura happily ate her breakfast, which composed of an egg, and two pieces of toast. She was used to eating light break fast. She didn't want to ruin her figure though.

"Sakura, hurry up or you'll be late." Her mother snapped as Sakura nodded her head absentmindedly while clipping the toast into her mouth as she headed to the door. She took off the toast from her mouth, kissed her mom on the cheek and she did the same to her dad.

"Be careful and don't come home late!" Her mother called out as Sakura waved a hand at her as she peacefully walked towards her school while still eating her break fast.

Sasuke was inside his car (A.N.: Yes, he is rich here. And so is Neji.) driving towards the school. His car was a red Ferrarri and he tapped his fingers in the steering wheel with the music that was playing on his radio.

He saw a pink haired girl who just suddenly crossed the street making him to step at the brakes violently as the pink haired girl eyed him.

'_Damn him. He almost killed me!' _Sakura thought as Sasuke climbed out of his car.

"Yo! What do you think you're doing!" he yelled. Sakura felt her anger rise. She ignored the fact that this guy had looks.

"AND FYI! YOU SHOULD ALSO WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

Sasuke felt it was senseless to argue with this girl.

"You were the one who made the mistake. You crossed so suddenly!" he responded and closed the door. Sakura glared at him. Soon, he honked the horn so loud that Sakura's hands automatically went to her ears.

'_Talk about rude!'_

'_**HELL YEAH! AND NOT TO MENTION THAT HE'S HANDSOME AND HOT AND RICH!'**_

Sakura walked away with her nose in the air and proceeded to her school. Sasuke stared at the girl with weird pink hair.

"GOOD MORNING!" Sakura's loud greeting rang across the room as her classmates eyed her.

"Hey Ino-pig!" Sakura greeted, placing her bag down at her chair. Ino nodded at her formally.

"Big forehead."

**Major glaring contest…**

"Oh don't tell me you two are going to start it again!" Tenten whined as she placed her bag on her own respective chair and went to the group.

"Good morning Hinata." Sakura and Tenten chorused as Hinata nodded. Hinata glanced at Naruto, who was with the 'cool' guys that were seated behind the classroom: Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru.

Deep inside, she held affections for the blonde kid. But Naruto always considers her as weird, but he keeps it inside of him, and shows respect for her as well. When Ino and Sakura ended their glaring contest, Sakura sighed.

"You guys won't believe what happened to me this morning." Sakura said. Ino and the other two seem to look interested as Sakura told them what happened.

o.O (A.N.: They all had faces like these)

"Wow Sakura! You just hit a hot guy!" Tenten nudged her as Sakura growled.

"He maybe hot but he certainly does not have room on his big brain for manners." Sakura said.

"He almost hit me!" Sakura added, crossing her arms across her chest. Ino rolled her eyes as their teacher, Iruka entered and the class settled.

"Mr. Hyuuga, will you please put down your feet from the table?" Iruka said as Neji glared at him and ignored him. Iruka sighed in defeat.

"Anyway, we have a new student today class! He will be joining us for the whole year round! Meet Uchiha Sasuke!" He said, beckoning the guy outside to come in.

**Whisper, girls shrieking, giggling, Sakura wide eyed, Ino with her jaw dropped, Tenten raising an eyebrow and Hinata busy looking at Naruto.**

Sakura felt herself boil in anger as the guy who almost hit her glanced at her and smirked.

"WHAT ARE YOU SMIRKING AT!" Sakura yelled out of the blue as the girls glared at her. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Now, now Sakura, you should have respect for our new student." Iruka reminded her politely. Neji stared at Sakura intently. He looked at Sasuke, who seemed to know her. Sasuke was Naruto, Shikamaru and his best friend. They had persuaded him to go home (he came from another country) and be with them.

"Respect? He doesn't even know what respect means!" Sakura blurted out as Tenten poked her.

"What are you so angry about?" she hissed. Sakura turned to her.

"He's the one who almost killed me!" Sakura whispered back angrily as he gave a high five at Shikamaru, Neji and Naruto. She raised an eyebrow. Tenten gasped a little, then proceeded to giggle.

"Are they friends with Hyuuga or something?" Ino whispered to her, looking interested to Uchiha Sasuke as well. Sakura scowled.

'_**WHY SHOULD I BE CLASSMATES WITH HIM! BEING WITH HYUUGA AND HIS STINK BOMBS ARE ALREADY ENOUGH!'**_

'_DAMN.'_

"He's a cocky jerk, hmm… that could make him their buddies." Sakura cursed. Ino was now staring at Sasuke with her eyes forming like hearts, and so did the other girls.

While at Sasuke…

"Do you know Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sasuke stared at him.

"Sakura-CHAN? Is she your girl friend or something? And is that the name of the pink haired girl?" Sasuke asked Neji, who nodded.

"Stop talking there people! Ms. Haruno! Ms. Tenten and Ms. Yamanaka! And also to you Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Uzumaki!" Iruka barked.

Lunch.

Sakura and her friends were under their favorite spot inside the campus. They were under the cherry blossom tree while eating their lunch.

"I was shocked to see you blurt out to him all of a sudden." Tenten said as she looked at Ino, who was probably day dreaming of Sasuke.

"Hinata, are they friends with your cousin?" Ino asked. Hinata nodded.

"Yes, I have heard of him. Some few years ago, he left to another country but then he came back after Neji-san and his friends persuaded him to go back here."

'_**CURSE YOU NEJI!'**_

"This is going to be a great year!...NOT…" Sakura said grudgingly as she finished her lunch. When the girls finished their lunch, Sakura jumped to a sturdy branch above them and rested there, one leg swinging freely.

At the boys… At the roof top.

Shikamaru was lying down, cloud gazing again while Naruto was slurping his tenth bowl of Ramen and Neji and Sasuke were leaning on the metal railings, talking.

"So you almost killed Haruno?" Neji asked. Sasuke nodded.

"But it was her carelessness." Sasuke muttered, looking down at the cherry blossom tree where the girls were hanging out.

Neji glanced at Naruto.

"He calls Sakura, Sakura-chan because he likes her." Shikamaru said lazily, as he yawned. Sasuke looked at Naruto in disgust.

"Naruto, I didn't know you had such a bad taste on women." Sasuke commented as Naruto looked up at him, offended.

"Hey! Don't say that! Sakura-chan is pretty you know! She may be weird sometimes and—"

"Sometimes?" Neji and Shikamaru looked at Naruto.

"Okay, she is weird but if you'll be nice to her, she'll be nice to you! Unfortunately, she made Neji as her number one enemy." Naruto said. Neji smirked.

"She said she just hates him, for being a cocky jerk." Naruto added. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he saw the girls leaving.

"Should we cut class?" Shikamaru asked, wanting for a nap. Well, he always wanted a nap.

"GO ON AND CUT CLASS! WE WOULD BE ENTIRELY HAPPY!" Sakura yelled to them as the Sasuke looked down. Neji smirked and closed his eyes.

"I told you she is weird." Neji mumbled, loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

"In case you are wondering, she does not have super natural hearing. It's just her habit every noon." Naruto said, answering his question.

"She knows that we have plans on cutting classes. Neji always pulls some pranks to her, which make her extremely scary and angry." Naruto said, cringing at the mental image of Sakura getting mad.

At classes…

Sakura can't help noticing that both Sasuke and Neji were staring at her. And also Naruto but she got used to him. She looked at both of them as they stared back, as Sasuke smirked and Neji looking… stoic.

"What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. She decided to ignore the two. She became stiff for the whole period because it was really uncomfortable to have two people stare at you, as though they are burning holes into your body.

After classes…

"I can't take it anymore!" Sakura hissed to herself. Hinata chuckled.

"Sakura-san, it's only the first month of classes." She reminded her as Sakura groaned.

"Please Hinata-chan, don't remind me of my cruel FATE AND DESTINY!" Sakura yelled, facing the sky, her arms wide open when she said the last three words. Tenten and Ino sweat dropped at their best friend's actions.

When they reached the gates, they saw Sasuke's red Ferrarri pass by with the boys in it. She wondered where Neji's car went to. One of the windows rolled down as she saw Sasuke's sly face.

"It's just the beginning, cherry blossom." He said, as she stared back at him.

"Yes, Uchiha, it's just the beginning." She hissed back. Sasuke rolled the panels up as they left, making the girls cough in smoke and dust. Sakura found a stone and threw it at the Ferrarri, which, unfortunately, crashed and made a whole at the back glass. Sakura stuck her tongue out as Tenten and Ino dragged her while they ran for their lives, with Hinata on their heels.

A.N.: Well, that was a very… bad first month of class.

Read and review:)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

---------------

Sakura got online with her friends at a chat room.

Ino-prettyblondeIno

Hinata-byakuganheiress

Tenten-weaponsrule

Sakura-pinkblossom

_Pinkblossom: Hey everyone! _

_PrettybloneIno: Big forehead girl! Are you sure you're going to school tomorrow after what you did! _

_Weaponsrule: yeah! They would kill you for that! _

_Byakuganheiress: and may I add it was a Ferrarri. I wonder why you're still so calm._

_Weaponsrule: not to mention chirpy. What are you going to do!_

_Pinkblossom: Hehehe. You guys are nervous for me! Aww! How sweet! lol_

_PrettyblondeIno: We're your friends! THEY WOULD INCLUDE IS DAMMIT!_

_Pinkblossom: Honestly guys! They are just boys! What could they do!_

_Weaponsrule: bangs her head at the table for her friend's stupidity_

_Byakuganheiress: lol_

_Pinkblossom: Don't worry, I had it all figured out. I'm just going to do something to them tomorrow and just pray and hope it would work._

_PrettyblondeIno: Don't make us even more terrified and nervous._

_Pinkblossom: Don't you guys trust me?_

_Weaponsrule, prettyblondeIno: NO!_

_Pinkblossom: :'(_

_Byakuganheiress: Honestly Sakura? You always come up with the craziest ideas that's why we're even more nervous._

_**Byakuganwhite joined the room**_

_Byakuganwhite: And what are you going to do… SAKURA?_

**Silence in the room…**

_Pinkblossom: Wait… who are you!_

_Byakuganheiress: He's… He's Neji._

_Weaponsrule: It was nice knowing you Sakura! And it was nice being your friend!_

_PrettyblondeIno: I leave it all to you!_

_Pinkblossom: Did you like what I did Neji? _

_**Sharinganred joined the room.**_

_Sharinganred: DAMN YOU HARUNO!_

_Pinkblossom: And who are you?_

_PrettyblondeIno: Duh! Sharingan! Who has the Sharingan in our school!_

Sakura gasps and her heart skipped a beat.

_Pinkblossom: Hi Sasuke-KUN!_

_Weaponsmistress: Kun? Where did that come from?_

_Sharinganred: Don't you think that I would let you go by smashing my Ferrarri Haruno! You're going to pay tomorrow! _

_Byakuganheiress: Um… Sasuke?_

_Sharinganred: What!_

_Weaponsrule: Are you going to… include us?_

_Byakuganwhite: No, he's not. I'm going to do the punishing to her, not Sasuke. _

_PrettyblondeIno: sighs in relief_

_Weaponsrule: Hell yeah! Thanks!_

_Pinkblossom: What! _

_Byakuganheiress: Why not Sasuke? Why you Neji-san?_

_Byakuganwhite: Well he's busy tomorrow so he asked me to do it for him. I don't know if that is even a punishment or not. I get to choose what the punishment is. _

_Pinkblossom: And pray tell me about your punishment Hyuuga?_

_Byakuganwhite: It's a surprise smiles evilly_

_Pinkblossom: Ha! You can't scare me!_

_Sharinganred: And you still have to pay for the damage!_

_Pinkblossom: Sure, no prob._

_PrettyblondeIno: And could you tell me where you're going to get the money?_

_Weaponsrule: yeah! _

_Pinkblossom: You don't need to know. I'll hand over the money tomorrow Uchiha. If it's not enough, tell me. _

_Byakuganwhite: but the punishment is still on._

_Pinkblossom: That's not fair! If I pay, there's supposed to be no punishment!_

_Sharinganred: Are you saying you're… scared?_

**Silence…**

_Pinkblossom: Bring it on!_

_Byakuganwhite: Do I have to do it Sasuke?_

_Sharinganred: What are you going to punish her anyway?_

_Byakuganwhite: Something maybe both of us would enjoy._

_O.o_

_Weaponsrule: I have a nasty feeling about this._

_Byakuganheiress: Me too._

_PrettyblondeIno: Something both of you would… enjoy?_

_Pinkblossom: That's good._

_Byakuganwhite: Let's see if you could get away with it. Good night Sakura… CHAN._

_Pinkblossom: Eww! Creepy! Much!_

_**Byakuganwhite has left the room**_

_Sharinganred: See you tomorrow… Sakura-CHAN._

_Pinkblossom: AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! FREAKS! KEEP AWAY FROM ME!_

_**Sharinganred has left the room**_

_Pinkblossom: I need to go… I'm still freaked out you know. I need to eat dinner! Bye guys!_

_PrettyblondeIno: Bye and good luck Sakura. You're going to need it tomorrow._

_Weaponsrule: Bye._

_Byakuganheiress: bye Sakura!_

_**Pinkblossom has left the room**_

_**PrettyblondeIno has left the room**_

_**Weaponsrule has left the room**_

_**Byakuganheiress has left the room**_

-----------

A.N.: Whew! My hands hurt of typing!

Read and review!

E.I.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N.: Thanks for the reviews! And as usual, NO FLAMERS ALLOWED!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Sakura arrived at her school, and when she came in, she felt all the stares go to her. Especially from Neji's group. She ignored them as she beamed at her friends, who were giving her nervous looks.

"HELLO! GOOD MORNING!" she yelled happily.

"Good morning Sakura." Ino said as Sakura stared at her.

"Good morning Sakura." Tenten and Hinata chorused but Sakura continued on staring at Ino.

"Eh… Ino? You okay?" Sakura asked. Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"You greeted me properly." Sakura responded. Ino sweat dropped.

"Well… I'm not in the mood today ok?"

"OMG! ARE YOU PMS-ING!"

BAM!

"Ow!" Sakura rubbed a lump on her head. Ino was sizzling with anger.

"I am NOT PMS-ing!" Ino yelled. Sakura glared at her, then turned to Hinata and gave her a sweet smile. Hinata gave a nervous smile back.

"Why are you three so nervous? Didn't Neji-weirdo tell you that he's not including you?" Sakura asked.

"We're worried about you Sakura, that's why." Tenten answered her question. Sakura hugged her.

"Aw! That's so sweet!" She said. Neji and Sasuke just stared at her from afar. Both of them wondered why she looked so… fine. Neji stood up and approached Sakura, which made the three girls gulp and the whole classroom watch.

"You never cease to amaze me Haruno." He said as Sakura smiled.

"Glad to hear that Neji-weirdo." She replied. Neji ignored the insult.

"I'm going to tell you the punishment by lunch. Be at the roof top." Neji said as Sakura nodded confidently, not showing anyone about her nervousness.

"And I would give the money to Uchiha-red eyes." Sakura added. Sasuke smirked.

"That's good." Neji said as he left. Ino whispered something to Sakura.

"Sakura, how much do you have? And don't tell me you stole the money." Ino whispered as Sakura chuckled.

"No, silly. I won't tell you where I got the money. But I'll tell you this; I have enough money in my pockets to buy a new Ferrarri."

O.O

"Really?" Tenten and Hinata whispered at the same time as Sakura nodded. Determination was all over her face and she won't let those two ruin her life nor her reputation.

"Why don't you tell us where you got the money huh Sakura?" Hinata asked. Sakura looked at her.

"You all are going to know soon." Sakura said as the teacher arrived.

----

By lunch…

Sakura gulped and pondered over what punishment Neji has in store for her. Her heart was beating really fast out of nervousness but still she was determined not to show any hints of fear unto her facial features.

When she opened the door, she saw only Neji and Sasuke. Naruto and Shikamaru were no where in sight. She stood up straight and walked gracefully towards the two.

"Glad you came Haruno. For once, I thought you were going to chicken out." Sasuke said.

"Well you thought wrong chicken-head." Sakura replied. Neji smirked at this as Sasuke smirked too. Sakura got something from her pocket.

"A check?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded as Sasuke took the check as his eyes widened at the amount of money stated in the check.

"Why? Is it too much Uchiha?" Sakura asked formally.

"Where the heck did you get this much money? I can buy a brand new Ferrarri with this." Sasuke commented as Sakura chuckled.

"I'm not telling. Anyway, what's the punishment about Neji?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked at Neji, wondering what the punishment is about.

"Easy Haruno…" Neji started.

"It's going to be…"

A.N.: Whoo, a cliff hanger!

Read and review folks!

E.I.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N.: Once again, thanks to everyone! And no flamers allowed!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

"You're going to be my slave for a week, starting this afternoon." Neji said. Sakura's eyes widened at the moment as Sasuke put his hands on his pockets and smirked.

"Nice idea." Sasuke complemented.

"S-Slave?" Sakura repeated. Neji nodded.

"You'll do everything as I say Haruno. Whether you like it or not." He said. Sakura couldn't believe this.

"And you said something that both of us would enjoy? I think I won't enjoy this one." Sakura said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh you will be." Neji said, as Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"I will wait for you at the school gates this afternoon." Neji said as they left the area. Sakura was dumbfounded.

'_**NNOOOOOOOOO! I CANNOT BE A SLAAAAAAVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!'**_

'_But we just agreed to this. I can't back out now!'_

-----

"WHAT!" Ino and Tenten said in unison as Sakura explained to them what Neji's punishment was.

"Yeah, and for a week." Sakura said sourly.

"Ok Class! Settle down!" Their teacher, Asuma, arrived.

---

By afternoon…

"Good luck Sakura! See you tomorrow!" Ino and the others waved good bye as they left the school premises. Sakura felt nervous as she gave herself a sigh of relief. Soon, Neji's black car appeared before her.

"Get in." he ordered. Sakura nodded.

'_And so it starts.'_

They drove around town and Sakura kept quiet. Neji was also quiet at the moment, concentrating on driving. Sakura noticed how smooth his driving skills are, and soon, she shook her head to get off her thoughts.

"Neji, where are we going?" Sakura asked.

They stopped in front of the mall.

"I'm going to buy some things." Neji said as he parked his car.

"Shall I stay here?" Sakura asked.

"No. You're going to come with me. I need to buy some suit for an upcoming formal party and I need someone to give some… opinions." Neji said.

"Now get out." Neji added as Sakura got out of the car, and Neji followed suit. He locked the door as they went inside the mall. They stopped in front of an expensive looking store. Sakura didn't seem… surprised at this.

They went inside.

"I want you to choose a suit for me." Neji said as Sakura smiled. Now she knew why Neji told her that she would enjoy this. She enjoys shopping.

She instantly grabbed some ties, and some suits. She glances at Neji every now and then, who was checking right beside her, telling her if he likes it or not. Soon, he agreed to try one suit combination. As Sakura waited patiently at a sofa.

"Sakura." Neji called as Sakura looked at him and instantly blushed. He was wearing a very handsome suit that fits him perfectly.

"It's perfect." Sakura said, trying to hide her blush. Soon, Neji changed into his normal clothes (a pair of cargo pants and a white printed t-shirt.) and bought the suit. They exited the store. Soon, they stopped in front of a gown store. Sakura raised an eyebrow and looked at Neji.

"You're going to be my partner at the party so I need to find you some formal attire." Neji said. Sakura shook her head.

"Thanks for the invitation. But there's no need. I have some cute formal attire in my closet, and it's a perfect combination with your suit. Don't worry." Sakura said. Neji looked like he had doubts but Sakura told him to trust her.

"Where are we going next Neji?" Sakura asked as they walked around the mall.

"I'm hungry." He replied.

A.N.: Ooh, how will things turn out?

Read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Neji's car arrived at Sakura's small house. Sakura looked at Neji.

"Thanks for the day! I really enjoyed it!" She said happily. Today, Neji bought her some things, like a bunch of barrettes because Neji ordered her to fix her hair up. He thinks it's a little bit messy. And some new clothes too!

"And thanks for bringing me home. You were right, I do enjoy the punishment." Sakura said. And before Neji could say anything, she gave him a peck on the cheeks and left the car. Neji placed a hand on the spot where Sakura kissed him as he eyed Sakura as she waved at him and entered her house.

'_I think I'm slowly being attracted to her…'_

----

Sakura fixed her hair in a ponytail and instead of dividing her hair in the middle like she used to, she divided it on the side. She smiled as she let some stray strands frame her beautiful face. She used the green barrette to complement her eyes and outfit.

She wore a halter top flowing dress colored mint green with a pink ribbon as a belt. She looked pretty… elegant and so beautiful and used a pair of simple white doll shoes.

"Wow. Neji sure picks some great clothes." Sakura said, smiling at herself as she placed some lip gloss at her face and wore a pair of white pearl earrings. She felt comfortable and great as she grabbed her bag and went downstairs.

Her mother and father were even bewildered at the sudden change.

"Sakura! You look beautiful! Where did those clothes come from!" Her mother asked as her father nodded in agreement.

"I got it from my friend. She gave it to me as a friendship gift." Sakura knew her mother was going to ask that question that's why she was ready. She doesn't want her parents to know that a guy gave it to her.

"You should wear things like that more often Sakura." Her father said as Sakura giggled.

---

"Look! It's Haruno Sakura!" One boy whispered to his companion as she passed by.

"Whoa! She's a fox!" another one said.

"Good morning everyone!" Sakura greeted in a normal level of voice.

O.O

"Sa-Sakura?" Ino asked. Sakura was also given the order to behave normally, not the super hyper active type she is always in. She glanced at Neji, who was staring at her while blushing madly. Sasuke was doing the same thing too!

"Good morning Neji." She said, smiling. Neji nodded while still blushing.

"WOW SAKURA-CHAN! YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!" Naruto yelled as Neji whacked him in the head. She went to her friends.

"Sakura! Where did those clothes come from?" Tenten asked, gaping. Sakura chuckled.

"From Neji. Do you like it?" Sakura asked. Ino gasped as she looked at Neji with wide eyes.

"What!" Ino and Tenten hissed in unison. Neji approached her as Sakura beamed at him, making him blush even more (if that is even possible).

"I wanna talk to you." He said, not looking at her straight in the eyes. Sakura nodded. And when they exited the room, their classmates stared at them and Sakura caught Sasuke staring blankly at her. Sakura winked at him as he blushed.

'_What is she winking at?'_

Neji closed the door.

"What is it that you want to talk about Neji?" Sakura asked innocently. Neji cleared his throat and looked at the hallway and saw that their teacher, Hatake Kakashi, as usual, is late.

"The party. It's going to be tomorrow night. I'm going to pick you up in your house by seven thirty got it?" Neji said as Sakura crossed her arms.

"And may I ask what it's about? And where the venue is?"

"It's our family's corporation's 20th anniversary. It's going to be held at the Hyuuga estate. Any other questions?" He asked.

"Why choose me as your partner? I'm sure that you know some other rich girls that wants to be your partner? Why choose a poor girl?" Sakura asked. Neji looked away.

"That… is none of your business Haruno." He replied coldly. Sakura cocked her head sideways in a cute way.

"Oh…"

"And…"

"And what?"

"This afternoon. You're going to wait at the same spot like yesterday." Neji said.

"Pray tell me where we're going today?" Sakura asked. Neji didn't answer her question. Instead, he just proceeded to go back into the classroom. Sakura scoffed at his actions.

"Talk about rude." She mumbled as she entered the room as well.

---

"What did he tell you Sakura?" Tenten asked sprightly. Sakura sat at her chair and glanced at Neji, who was now meditating with his eyes closed. Sasuke was talking lightly with Shikamaru. Naruto was talking to one of their classmate.

"Nothing." Sakura replied, sighing.

"Nothing? Oh come on!" Ino said, whining. Sakura glared at her.

"I said nothing. Do I have to spell it out for you?" She spat back.

----

By the next night…

Sakura wore a crème colored flowing halter topped gown that had a long slit on the left side. Even if it was flowing, it hugged her curves perfectly. She also paired it with a pair of golden colored stilettos. Her hair was in one bun, and on the side of the bun, there was a crème colored flower. She also let some stray hair fall on the side of her face.

She wore two golden bangles on her left wrist while her right hand was holding a golden purse. She also wore a pair of pearl earrings with golden accents with it. Her make up were just facial powder, and some lip gloss.

She stared at herself at the mirror and smiled. Then, she heard a car stop in front of her house and guessed that it would be Neji. So she went out instantly.

"Bye mom! Bye dad! I'll be back soon!" She yelled as she went out. She saw Neji entering their small black gates. When he looked up at her, he blushed again.

'_Damn. I keep blushing!'_

"Good evening Neji! You look absolutely gorgeous tonight!" Sakura chirped. Neji nodded.

"You too." He replied formally then he opened the door of the car for her then she went in. He went to the other side of the car, entered and drove off to the Hyuuga Estate.

---

When they arrived, Neji found out that Sakura was the belle of the ball. She was a total head turner and Neji felt somewhat proud to be her partner. Then, Sakura saw his parents. She gulped.

"Good evening Mr. Hyuuga. I could tell that you look as handsome as your son." Sakura greeted as Neji looked at her in confusion.

'_I thought she was poor. Where did she get such good etiquette?'_

"Thank you… Ms…?" Mr. Hyuuga asked as Sakura chuckled.

"Oh I'm sorry. My name is Haruno Sakura. I hope you don't mind being your son's partner. Your son is very reverent, as I have observed."

"Thank you Ms. Haruno. And the pleasure is all mine. I could say you're even the perfect partner for my son!" Mr. Hyuuga chuckled. Neji didn't say anything. He was too shocked at the moment. Neji's mother appeared, wearing a blood red gown. Sakura gave out a small curtsey.

"Good evening Mrs. Hyuuga. I'm Haruno Sakura. I can say you look absolutely splendid tonight." Sakura said. Mrs. Hyuuga seemed amazed at the girl.

"Such a fine girl. Neji, I'm happy that you have chosen a worthy partner for tonight." Mrs. Hyuuga said as Neji nodded.

The party continued as they met with different people. Sakura was relieved that no one asked her about her family. They went at the garden afterwards.

"Did you study in a finishing school?" Neji asked, as he sipped some wine from his glass. Sakura chuckled.

"I just don't want to embarrass you. Let's just say I did it using instincts." Sakura said brightly, staring at a gorgeous fountain with various colored lights in it.

"I'm sorry if I gave you some shock. I'm different as the Sakura that you know in school."

"Why keep such an act? To attract attention?"

"No. I just feel free whenever I'm in school." Sakura replied, sighing happily. Neji stared at her and blushed again. Sakura looked at him, as he looked away.

"Neji? Are you drunk? You look somewhat…red." Sakura asked.

"No. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, somehow concerned for her… friend.

"Yes, I'm sure." Neji replied. Sakura waved at a girl that she just met at the party. Neji realized that he had a wrong impression on Sakura.

And he admitted to himself that he was actually starting to fall in love with this girl.

A.N.: Read and review!

E.I.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----------

The next day…

'_I'm so tired.'_

Sakura walked towards their classroom wearing a pair of pink sandals, a flowery skirt, and a shoulder's off fuchsia pink top. Half of her hair was in a ponytail.

"Good morning." She said lazily.

"Sakura? You okay?" Tenten asked as Sakura placed her bag on the chair, sat down, and placed her head on the table.

"Tired from the party Haruno?" Sasuke spat. Sakura glared at him.

"What do you think Uchiha?" She replied coldly. Sasuke smirked at her then proceeded to his chair.

"Jerk." She mumbled as she closed her eyes.

-----

After classes…

She was alone at the classroom and was to go out when she saw Uchiha Sasuke standing at the door frame.

"Get out of the way Uchiha." She barked.

"Ooh, feisty." He teased. Sakura started to walk but he blocked her. She turned left but he blocked her again. Sakura groaned.

"Excuse me Uchiha. But I'm late."

"With your date with Neji?" Sasuke spat.

"It's not a date. It's something I need to do." Sakura replied. However, Sasuke still didn't budge.

"You don't want to make your best friend angry don't you?" Sakura added. Sasuke's eyebrows met.

"It's still my punishment. I'll do what I want." He said.

"Oh? I thought you told him for HIM to do the punishment. I thought you were busy." Sakura replied innocently. If he won't budge, she would have to take drastic measures. Unfortunately, he didn't do anything. He just stared at her.

Sakura sighed as she smiled at him and leaned unto him, her finger playing in his chest.

"W-What are you doing!" he hissed. Sakura looked up at him as she caressed his cheek.

"You know… I find you interesting as well…" she said in a very seductive tone. Sasuke's breath started to quicken. Sakura pushed him to the door frame and smiled. Sakura stared right at his onyx eyes and much to her own shock, Sasuke kissed her. Sakura didn't respond. Instead, she tried to get away from him.

Sasuke broke the kiss.

"It's your own damn fault why I'm acting this way." Sasuke hissed. Sakura smiled at him.

And she kneed him where his very prized possession of his body was located. Sasuke gasped as he fell to his knees.

"Ooh does that hurt?" Sakura asked innocently. Sasuke looked up at her.

"D-Damn you Ha-Haruno!" he said, almost a whisper. Sakura's face went closer to his and then she smirked.

"Next time you'll do that to me, I'll make sure you're not going to have babies in the future." She warned as she hurriedly left the building.

'_Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Neji would be so mad!'_

Sasuke watched her retreating figure as he punched the floor and made cracks (o.O).

"I'll get you for this Haruno." He said to himself.

----

"What took you so long!" Neji asked as Sakura went inside the car. She gave him a bright smile.

"Sorry. I misplaced my wallet and I tried to find it." She lied. On the way there, she already devised a lie. As much as she hated Sasuke or even Neji, she didn't know why but she chose not to tell him.

"So! Where are we going!" Sakura asked. Neji smirked. He started to drive. As usual, Neji didn't reply but soon, he noticed that Sakura looked troubled.

"Sakura, is something the matter?" Neji asked. Sakura jumped in surprise but then shook her head.

"No! No! It's nothing! Really!" Sakura lied. Neji parked the car at the same mall's parking lot. He looked at her.

"You know. Even though you're really good at lying, I am still an expert on reading someone's emotions." Neji reminded her as Sakura shook her head again.

"It's nothing Neji. Don't worry about me. So… what are we doing here again?" Sakura asked. Neji knew that she was as stubborn as a mule so he decided to leave it.

------

By seven, Sakura arrived.

"I'm home!" Sakura yelled as she removed her shoes and slipped into her slippers. Her mother's head poked out from the kitchen.

"Hello Sakura. You have a visitor."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"A visitor?"

She ran to the living room.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HEERREEEEE?" Sakura yelled.

It was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Now, now Sakura! Why are you acting like that to your visitor?" Sakura's mom appeared as she kindly gave Sasuke a cup of tea and Sasuke thanked her.

'_Mom is always kind to rich looking and also handsome looking visitors! What the heck is he doing here! And where's dad!'_

"Mom… where's Dad?"

"Your dad? He's over timing." She replied. Sakura eyed Sasuke. She was livid with anger and nervousness.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" Her mother sang happily at the kitchen. Sasuke was just staring at her blankly. Sakura went to the kitchen.

"Mom, wanna go night clubbing? I have this ticket and…"

"THANK YOU SAKURA! I'LL GO CHANGE!"

Her mother always loved night clubbing. Her father as well. That's why most of the time; Sakura was alone at the house at night.

Twenty minutes later… her mother left. Sakura sighed in relief as she turned and faced her opponent. She sat at a sofa across him.

"What do you want?" She spat angrily. Sasuke smirked.

"Just want to pay you a visit. You have a nice house you know." Sasuke said. Sakura's veins were throbbing. She wanted to kick his ass so bad!

"Thank you. But I'll appreciate it more if…"

"Did you get your mother out of this house to have some alone time with me?" Sasuke sneered. Sakura scoffed at his remark.

"Yeah right. Now why would I want to have some alone time with you?"

"Let me guess. You'd rather have some alone time with Neji? Am I right?" Sasuke asked. Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Glad you know!" She chirped happily.

"You know. You and Neji have been having some enjoyable time together, so I have noticed. You two seem to get along so well." Sasuke said.

"Why? Are you jealous?" Sakura asked mockingly. Sasuke laughed.

"Now why would I be jealous!"

Dead Silence…

"You should leave now you know. Or I would take my warning to you seriously." Sakura said.

"And may I add that that thing I did to you felt good." Sakura added. Sasuke's eyebrows met again as he stood up and started to approach her. Sakura stood up as well and backed away.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did Haruno. And since we're all alone, it would be far more easier." Sasuke hissed. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right. As if I would let you." Sakura said, looking at the stairs. She began to run to her bedroom, lock the door, and opened the window. She hurriedly changed into some shoes again as she jumped out from the window and into a tree branch and landed swiftly on the ground.

"Sakura?" A voice sounded as she looked up.

"NEJI!" She yelled happily as she lounged herself at him. Neji was shocked at the sudden actions. Sasuke opened the window as he saw Neji.

"Neji." He whispered. Neji saw him.

"Sakura, what is he doing in your house?" Neji asked. Sakura smirked. This time, she has a chance to make the two boys fight and make Sasuke pay.

Sasuke jumped down.

"Actually Neji, he's always there to bother me. He's really annoying and he had a plan on raping me or hurting me of some sort."

That hit the spot.

It deeply angered Neji.

A.N.: Let the blood bath begin!

Read and review!

E.I.


	7. Chapter 7

A.N.: HEY EVERYONE! Thanks for all the reviewers and readers and may I remind everyone again that I don't accept flamers! Ok? God, I'm so tired right now. I've been typing for hours and my fingers hurt. I wanna find an inspiration… maybe some TV would do me some good.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Uchiha, I warn you. Place one finger in Sakura and I would swear that you would regret it." Neji warned angrily.

"Oho! Growing protective here aren't we? Like I said Hyuuga, you're not the only one who wants her."

'_Wow. This must be serious. They are already calling each other by their last names!'_

"Sakura's my friend Uchiha. I have pure intentions towards her. UNLIKE YOU!" Neji yelled. Sakura was now nervous maybe the two would end up in a bloody fight. But she felt happy that Neji now treated her as a friend.

"How can she make sure that you're intentions are pure Hyuuga!"

"Because I didn't touch her of some sort! And I don't mean any harm!"

"Maybe not yet!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Neji lounged at Sasuke, throwing a punch at his face and before they knew it, the two were having a fight. Sakura couldn't bear looking at them and her temper was now gone.

"SSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" Sakura yelled. Both Sasuke and Neji looked at her at the same time.

"YOU TWO! STOP THIS MACHO CRAP ARGUMENT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I WOULD PUNCH YOU TWO IN THE BALLS SO HARD THAT YOU WON'T HAVE BABIES IN THE FUTURE!"

o.O

"Sasuke, I ask you to leave immediately." Sakura said. Sasuke wiped the blood that was trickling down from his mouth by using the back part of his hand, glared at Neji, jammed his hands on his pockets and looked back at Neji.

"This isn't over yet Hyuuga."

And he went to his car and left. Sakura looked at Neji.

"Neji! Are you okay?"

"I should be the one asking you that question." Neji smiled at her. Sakura noticed that he has a black eye and his nose was bleeding.

"OMG! You should come inside! I should treat your wounds! I'm so sorry if this happened!"

"No… Sakura. It's okay. That bastard should learn his lesson after all." Neji said as they went inside the house. Sakura hurried to find the first aid kit as Neji sat at the sofa.

"What did you do to Sasuke anyway that made him do that?" Neji asked as Sakura sat down beside him and opened the first aid kit. Since he had already been wounded for her, she better tell him.

"I came late right?"

"Yeah."

"You see (she placed some medications at the minor scratches first as Neji looked up while pinching his nose to stop the bleeding) I was alone at that time at the classroom and I realized that I was growing late (Neji winced) Sorry. Then, Sasuke was there, and he blocked my way."

"That's why you came late?"

"Yea. Then, he won't budge that's why I did some seducing to make him step aside then I kneed him hard at the balls."

"You seduced him and then kneed him?"

"Yep. I taught him a lesson but I didn't expect him to be more attracted to me and come here head long at my house and do his evil plans."

"Part of it is your fault. You seduced him. Not one guy in his right mind would not turn up to be more attracted to a girl who just seduced him." Neji said, partly jealous because Sakura seduced Sasuke.

Sakura placed a bandage of a large scratch on his forehead.

"Sorry about this Neji. But why did you come here anyway?" Sakura asked.

"I was about to ask if you're free because I'm alone in the house and I wanna saunter a while." Neji explained. Sakura started to wipe some blood away.

"Thanks for protecting me Neji. You're a great friend."

Neji's heart crushed at the last word.

"Yeah… friend." He mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He replied instantly. Sakura was done as she started to clean the materials and place it back at the kit.

"So, don't tell me you two are going to show up with these faces. Oh man, you two were really best friends and I was the only reason that you two fought." Sakura said sadly.

"I told you its okay. If I would be absent, Uchiha would think that I'm weak not to show an appearance." Neji said.

"You two have issues concerning egoes." Sakura said as she placed the first aid kit at the table and then looked at him.

"What do you wanna do now? You still wanna go around town with that face?" Sakura asked, as she proceeded to the kitchen to prepare some juice.

"No. I think I don't wanna do that anymore. Are you alone here?"

"Yep." Sakura replied, taking out a pitcher that contained some orange juice and poured some of its contents on one glass, then to the other glass.

"Where are your parents?"

"I sent my mom out night clubbing when Sasuke arrived because I knew there would be trouble. My parents still love night clubbing, because in a night club, that's where they met." Sakura explained as she returned the pitcher back at the fridge and went to the living room.

"And your dad?" Neji took one glass and thanked her.

"He's over timing. Usually, he goes home really late and my mom would be back for a long time." Sakura said, placing one leg on the couch and started drinking.

"How about you? Why are you alone?" Sakura asked.

"My parents always go to business trips leaving me alone in that house." Neji said, drinking too. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"You have many servants and butlers. Why not talk to them?"

"I don't feel like talking to them. They're busy and I don't want to be a hindrance to their work." Neji replied.

(A.N.: Damn, I'm tired)

"I see what you mean." Sakura mumbled. Neji stared at her for a while.

"You're lucky being rich ya know. You can buy everything! But I just knew that being rich isn't that all good." Sakura said as Neji sighed.

"They say that being rich is like having no problems. But they're wrong." Neji said and all of a sudden, Sakura burst out chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"I can't believe that the might Hyuuga Neji of our school is now opening up to a regular student and not to mention poor. I thought rich people mingle only with rich people."

"That's not true. And I feel like I could trust you. You're not a tattletale are you?"

"Nope. If I feel like the secret is really confidential, I don't open my mouth. You know what? I had a bad first impression on you because you were so cold… and something like that. But I think I was wrong."

"Same here. I thought you were someone loud."

"I am loud."

"Yes, sometimes. You could annoying as well but you could be really nice." Neji smiled. Sakura blushed at his smile (because he looked DARN handsome) and looked away.

"Hey Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"That money that you gave to Sasuke. Where did that come from? That was a large amount you know. He actually bought a new Ferrarri because of that. Are you really rich?"

"Me? No! Of course not!"

"But you look rich."

"I just look like one but I am not rich."

"So how do you explain the large amount of cash?"

"Savings. I saved that for a long time." Sakura replied. Neji cocked an eyebrow.

"Savings? That much? And you gave it all to him? You should have only given him the amount that he needs."

"I wanna start all over again. You won't understand." Sakura said, taking Neji's empty glass and took them towards the kitchen. Neji checked his watch.

"I better get going." Neji said as Sakura accompanied him outside. He waved good bye as his car left. Sakura sighed as she went back to the house.

"What a day." She muttered and for security, she locked the main door and turned the TV on. She had an idea as she turned the TV off and zoomed into the computer.

_**Weaponsrule is on**_

_**Byakuganheiress is on**_

_**Pink blossom is on**_

_Pinkblossom: Hey guys! Where's Ino?_

_Byakuganheiress: Hey Sakura. She's in the mall._

_Weaponsrule: Shopping again. Know what Sakura? You became an instant popularity among boys today since the time that you started hanging out with Neji. So how is it anyway?_

_Pinkblossom: It's fine. Neji and I are not great friends._

_Byakuganheiress: Speaking of Neji, he just arrived. Maybe he got into a fight again, he's wounded. But it looks like someone tended it already._

_Pinkblossom: You guys won't believe what just happened this night._

Sakura told them everything.

_Weaponsrule: YOU ROCK! TWO HOT GUYS ARE AFTER YOU!_

_Pinkblossom: Hey, Neji is just a friend. He's not after me. lol_

_Byakuganheiress: But Uchiha Sasuke is. So, what's your plan for revenge? Knee him again?_

_Pinkblossom: I think I'll leave that to Neji. He's really mad at the moment and I feel really guilty for ruining their friendship. But I know they're going to fight tomorrow again. So I think it's better if I would keep an eye on those two and maybe talk to Sasuke._

_Weaponsrule: But Sasuke deserves it. He acted like a real jerk. Don't worry Sakura, leave him to me._

_Pinkblossom: No Tenten. I don't want you to get involved in this._

_Byakuganheiress: But we'll watch that Sasuke like a hawk. Since the start of the classes, I didn't trust him that much._

_**PrettyblondeIno is on**_

_Byakuganheiress: Hey Ino._

_Weaponsrule: Holla Ino._

_Pinblossom: Yo pig._

_PrettyblondeIno: Shut up big forehead and hi to you two. I'm so tired of shopping._

_Pinkblossom: What did you buy?_

_PrettyblondeIno: A skirt and a bag. That's it. I can't find anything good._

_Pinkblossom: lol. Five hours and that's all you got? You're unbelievable._

_PrettyblondeIno: Thank you._

_Byakuganheiress: Should we tell her Sakura?_

_PrettyblondeIno: About what?_

Hinata and Tenten explained to her everything.

A moment of silence…

_PrettyblondeIno: WTF! SAKURA! YOU SHOULD BE AWESOMELY PROUD! _

_Pinkblossom: I am proud that I actually kneed Uchiha Sasuke in the balls and that's all. Thank you._

_Byakuganheiress: lol._

_**Byakuganwhite is on**_

Sakura smiled.

_Pinkblossom: Yo._

_Weaponsrule: WWWWWWOOOOOOOO! NEJI! YOU ROCK! YOU KICKED SOME SERIOUS BUTT BACK THERE!_

_Byakuganwhite: You told them?_

_Pinkblossom: They're my friends. They deserve to know._

_Byakuganheiress: Thanks for saving Sakura, Neji-san._

_Byakuganwhite: Hn._

_PrettyblondeIno: HELL YEAH! NEJI DOES ROCK!_

_**Sharinganred is on**_

Sakura gasps then groans. Neji's eyes widened as his eyebrows met. The other three keeps quiet.

_Pinkblossom: Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Uchiha Sasuke._

_Sharinganred: I wanna apologize for the incident earlier Sakura. But it doesn't mean for SOMEONE out there to think that I'm weak._

_Byakuganwhite: I didn't say anything._

_Pinkblossom: Part of it is my fault anyway. I shouldn't have kneed you. But I forgive you. And Neji…_

_Byakuganwhite: What?_

_Pinkblossom: Don't fight him okay? And also you Sasuke? I have already forgiven you and I want us to be friends._

Sasuke smirks. The other three smiles. Neji rolls his eyes while Sakura sighed in happiness.

_Sharinganred: What do you think Hyuuga?_

_Byakuganwhite: That's fine with me. As long as you keep your hands away from her Uchiha._

Sakura sighed and shook her head.

_Pinkblossom: Whatever. As long as you two don't throw punches at each other got that?_

_Byakuganwhite: Hn._

_Sharinganred: Whatever._

_PrettyblondeIno: You really had both of them pissed at each other Sakura._

_Pinkblossom: Put a lid on it blondie._

_Weaponsrule: Lol_

_Byakuganheiress: Neji-san, calm yourself. We don't want another fight between you and Sasuke. Remember, you two were best friends._

_Byakuganwhite: I know that. But judging from the four of us, Sasuke and I aren't the closest ones. He's close to Shikamaru and I'm close to Naruto or something like that._

_Sharinganred: We're just close friends. Not best friends._

_Pinkblossom: Damn it. The house is so creepy._

_Sharinganred: I could come if you want to and keep you company._

_Byakuganwhite: Do that and I swear I would come as well and I would watch you like a hawk._

_Sharinganred: I already apologized and I keep to my words Hyuuga._

_Pinkblossom: WILL YOU TWO STOP IT! You're both driving me up the wall! AAAARRRGGHHHHHH!_

_Byakuganwhite: …_

_Weaponsrule: lol. Calm down Sakura or you might rip your own head off._

_Pinkblossom: I don't wanna be here anymore. I'm going to sleep and see you all tomorrow._

_Byakugaheiress: Good night Sakura._

_Weaponsrule: Good night hot head._

_PrettyblondeIno: See you tomorrow and good night big forehead._

_Byakuganwhite: Night._

_Sharinganred: 'night Sakura._

_Pinkblossom: Good night._

_**Pinkblossom is now off**_

----

A.N.: Sakura only treats Neji as a friend ok?

Read and review!

E.I.


	8. Chapter 8

A.N.: I haven't updated this story for a long time now because I was busy updating the other story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-----

One night, Sakura was driving with her parents and they were heading home. When suddenly, her father got a nervous expression on his face.

"M-My brakes! They won't work!" He yelled. Sakura gasped as her mother started to panic. Sakura prayed that they would be still alive as their car gathered some speed. Her father tried avoiding the cars that passed by and they were almost hit by a truck. Her mother fainted.

"MOM! MOM!" Sakura called out but she won't wake up. Sakura was now breathing heavily and her dad was really pale now.

"DAD! LOOK OUT!" Sakura said, pointing a tree as they smashed into it. Her mother's head was hit at the window pane and her dad's air bag blew off. Sakura was unconscious.

Soon, she stirred up. She had a minor head injury and her left hand and right leg was broken. She screamed in pain as she tried to wake her parents up.

"MOM! MOM! DAD!" Sakura said. She checked their pulses.

They were dead. Both her mom and dad suffered severe brain damage. Sakura started to cry and panic as she saw her cell phone. She unconsciously dialed Sasuke's number.

"Hello?" Sasuke's voice sounded. Sasuke heard some heavy breathing and he knew that Sakura was panicking and crying.

"Sa-Sasuke! Pl-Please help me!" Sakura can't talk straight and started to cry. Sasuke ran to his car as he turned the engine on.

"Sakura! Where are you!" Sasuke yelled as he drove off.

"Sasuke! Oh my God! My—Parents! T—they're g-g-gone!" Sakura wailed.

"Sakura, calm down and tell me where you are!" Sasuke almost yelled at the phone.

"I think—I'm in Mori Avenue… Sasuke… Please… help…" Sakura said as she cried harder on the phone. Sasuke stepped on the accelerator harder.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll be there. Just hang on ok?" Sasuke said as he stepped on the accelerator and gathered speed. He quickly called the ambulance as he made his way there.

To his horror, he saw a car halfway smash against a large sturdy tree. He quickly stopped and ran out towards the scene.

"Sakura! Sakura!" He yelled.

"Sasuke! I'm h-here!" Sakura's muffled voice said. Sasuke ripped the broken door off as he saw an injured Sakura, crying while stuck on the car. Sasuke quickly pulled her out as the ambulance came. Sakura cried in his arms while Sasuke tried to calm her down.

"Sakura… I'm here… Sshh…"

"Mom! Dad!" She kept calling their names. Sasuke knew how it feels to suddenly lose the ones you love. He hugged Sakura tighter. He felt pity for her, and he knew how hard it is for her. All her could do now is comfort her.

"Sir, we need to get her to the hospital." A medic said. Sasuke looked at Sakura straight in the eyes. Sakura was sniffing.

"Sakura, you need to heal your wounds. I'll be right at the hospital ok?" Sasuke asked as Sakura nodded and went to the ambulance with the medic. The police came soon after and they even asked Sasuke about the incident. After that, Sasuke drove towards the hospital as fast as he could.

At the hospital…

Sasuke ran towards the emergency room as the nurse told him that she's currently in the operation room trying to mend her broken bones. Sasuke waited impatiently at the waiting room and decided to call her friends.

Twenty minutes later…

"Sasuke!" Someone called out as Ino arrived followed closely by Tenten and Hinata. Sasuke stood up as he eyed the worried three.

"What happened!" Tenten asked anxiously, trying to peek in the operation room.

"Sakura and her parents had a car crash and thankfully, Sakura accidentally dialed my number." Sasuke explained. Ino joined Tenten in peeking.

"What happened to her parents?" Hinata asked, worried as well. Sasuke looked at the ground as he shook his head. Hinata covered her mouth with her hand as tears came down her face. Ino and Tenten looked at him, shocked.

"WHAT!" Ino exclaimed. Tenten started to cry as well. Ino just gritted her teeth as she clenched her fists, turning livid. Ino tried to suppress her tears but failed at the attempt.

1 hour later…

Sakura got out and she was delivered to the private ward. Sasuke hired the best doctor around and since his family owns the hospital, he doesn't need to worry about the expenses. The three of them and Sasuke were beside Sakura, hoping that she would be okay.

"Do you think she would be able to get through this information about her parents?" Tenten asked, holding Sakura's left hand. Ino was holding her other hand.

"She knows already. But I presume that she would be depressed. It's going to be hard for her to sink this information in her head." Sasuke replied. The doctor arrived as they all looked at him while Sasuke stood up.

"We have mended her wounds and I think she would be awake in a few hours or maybe tomorrow. However, it would take about two to three weeks for her leg to be usable again but it would not be completely healed yet."

"Thank you doctor." Sasuke said as the doctor left. Sasuke sighed as he sat at the foot of the bed as he glanced at Sakura worriedly.

-----

The next day…

"I wonder why Sasuke's absent today." Naruto said, as he watched the teacher of their second period leave. Neji was worried why Sakura was also absent and the other three looked like something was really bothering them.

"Sasuke's at the hospital." Ino suddenly replied, sitting on a vacant seat beside Naruto. Naruto, Shikamaru and Neji suddenly whipped their heads towards her with shocked faces.

"What? What happened to him!" Naruto yelled, slamming his hands on the table. Ino jumped in surprise of the sudden 'violent' reaction.

"Nothing happened to him. But to Sakura." Ino replied, looking at Naruto. Neji's eyes widened when he heard Sakura's name as he grabbed Ino's wrist.

"What happened to her!" Neji yelled. Naruto and Shikamaru were appalled to see Neji having such a reaction. Normally, he would just be calm and do nothing.

"She—she had a car accident last night and her parents died!" Ino was confused of the situation as well. Neji's eyes were creepy for her (duh, it's white. No offense) and they were staring right at her sky blue eyes.

"Tell me, where is the hospital that she's in!" Neji demanded again. Ino blinked.

"At the Uchiha hospital. Sasuke has been guarding her since last night. Sakura had some broken bones and maybe she's awake now." Ino supplied the necessary information that maybe Neji would want to hear.

Without any word, Neji stood up and left. Naruto called out to him.

"NEJI! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO CUT CLASS!" Naruto yelled as all of their classmates stared at him. Neji stopped when he was at the door as he glared at Naruto. He didn't say anything as he ran out and went to his car. He drove off.

"I wonder what's gotten into him." Naruto said, scratching his head. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

'_Clod. It's obvious that he's worried for Sakura.'_

------

At the hospital…

Neji ran as fast as he could after he knew Sakura's ward number. He came to a halt when he noticed two guards dressed in black guarding the door. He approached them.

"I need to get inside." Neji commanded. The guy on his left was the one who answered him.

"I'm sorry but others are prohibited to enter until—"the guy was cut short when the door opened. A familiar old man dressed in a suit came out, followed by two other guards.

'_Isn't that Mr. Kobayashi Zaibatsu? I am sure I got the exact room. What does he want from Sakura?' _Neji thought as he went inside. Sasuke was nowhere to be found and he found Sakura sitting on the bed while staring at the window.

"Sakura?" Neji asked as Sakura turned her head. She was shocked to see him at first then smiled.

"Hello Neji."

"Where's Sasuke? I thought he was the one who was guarding you." Neji said as he sat down at a chair beside her bed.

"He said he would just go to the grocery to buy some foods." Sakura replied gently. Neji remembered the guards earlier.

"Sakura, what was Mr. Kobayashi doing here?" Neji asked. He noticed Sakura's eyes widen a little and then, it took some time before she could reply.

"My parents work for him. He said he would be the one paying for the burial." Sakura replied sadly. Neji looked at her and felt instant pity for Sakura. He grabbed one of her hand and held it. Sakura looked shock about this.

"Sakura, I'm sorry for what happened to you… but remember, I'm always here." Neji said, trying to reassure her. Sakura chuckled.

"Never knew Neji has a corny side." Sakura chuckled. Neji smirked.

"Sometimes, you need to be corny to tell that person what you really feel. Sometimes, they even say the cornier you are, the sweeter." Neji explained in a matter-of-fact tone. Sakura's hand felt warm when Neji held it.

"Anyway, what are your parent's jobs?" Neji asked as Sakura withdrew her hand, slightly blushing.

"They… They… umm… My dad is one of his guards and my mom is one of his maids! Yeah! That's it." Sakura said. Neji knew she was lying.

"Stop lying." Neji said. Sakura expected this.

"Okay… my dad is an office worker and my mom is also an office worker for Mr. Kobayashi." Sakura said. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Why lie?" Neji asked. Sakura smiled.

"Nothing. Just wanna test you if the rumors are true that you can read other people's minds by using their emotions. I can see that it's true after all." Sakura replied warmly.

"Ehem." Someone said from behind as Neji turned his head only to see Sasuke standing a few feet away from him, carrying some groceries. When their eyes met, electric sparks appeared and then, both of them looked away with a soft 'Hmph!'. Sakura sweat dropped anime style.

"What are you doing here Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked coldly as he placed the grocery on a bed side table. Sakura thanked him quietly as he nodded and placed his hands on his pockets.

"What does it look like?" Neji replied hotly.

"It looks like you're flirting with her… again." Sasuke replied nonchalantly. Neji groaned as he clenched his fists and stood up. Sakura sighed and slightly shook her head.

"Uchiha. If I were you, I'd rather shut up than say some trash." Neji responded. Sasuke smirked.

"GUYS! ARE YOU GOING TO START IT AGAIN!" Sakura yelled. Neji and Sasuke looked at her, then looked at each other as their eyebrows met then looked away. Sasuke sat on the couch while Neji sat on his own respective chair.

"That's better." Sakura said as she proceeded to find something in the grocery bag. She saw an apple as she wiped it with her dress as she started to eat it. Sasuke and Neji's eyes widened.

"SAKURA! IT HASN'T BEEN WASHED YET!" Sasuke and Neji yelled at the same time as Sakura jumped in surprise. Sasuke and Neji looked at each other as electric sparks flew again.

"Please keep quiet! This is a hospital!" A nurse yelled but when she saw Sasuke, who was looking really angry, she sweat dropped.

"Uh—I'm sorry Mr. Uchiha! Uh—"she said as she hurriedly bowed and left. Sasuke yanked the apple from Sakura as he threw it at the trash can, pulled out a new apple, washed it at the bathroom and then gave it to her. Neji just kept quiet.

"Uh—thank you." Sakura said as she started to eat again.

By noon, Neji and Sasuke debated on who's going to be the one to buy the lunch. Neji succeeded the fight and he had that triumphant smile all day long. By afternoon, her friends arrived.

"Sakura! Thank goodness! Are you okay!" Ino asked as she gave Sakura a hug. Naruto looked at Sasuke, then at Neji, then back at Sasuke.

"Were you two here all day long?" Naruto asked. Neji nodded. Shikamaru yawned as he sat at the sofa then closed his eyes.

"Sakura, if you don't mind me asking, when is the burial? And are you still going to stay at your house? Where would you get your money?" Tenten asked a barrage of questions as Sakura sweat dropped. The topic made Sasuke and Neji listen.

"My parents have enough money. I think I'm going to find a job and live to myself." Sakura said, waving her hands in defense. Ino crossed her arms and looked queasy.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine and safe?"

Sakura eyed the two who were obviously listening.

"Yeah. I would be." Sakura said, nodding. "Besides, that house is our family's property so I own it now. I'll be JUST fine."

'_With these two around, I am sure that they would check up on me. They're like my brothers all of a sudden.'_

"Don't worry, we'll check up on you every now and then Sakura." Hinata said timidly. Naruto gave him a thumbs up and winked.

"DON'T WORRY!" Naruto said as Ino whacked him in the head.

"Not so loud simpleton!"

"Owww…"

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A.N.: I think this would be the start of Neji, Sakura and Sasuke's adventure with each other. I'm still thinking about what I should place.

Read and review!

E.I.


	9. Chapter 9

A.N.: Okay, so my other story is already finished that's why I can concentrate on this one even further! Yehey!

Disclaimer: I own Naruto… in my dreams (sadly… sniff)

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After two months, Sakura had a fast recovery but internally, she was still wounded. She went back to her house and found herself crying madly again.

After four hours of just sitting, staring and crying, she decided to calm herself down. She rushed to the bathroom and found that her eyes were mega red and so swollen. Her eyes hurt as well. She sighed as she took out a large box and placed it at the living room.

She started to remove all the things that reminded her of her parents like photo frames (she only kept one), her dad's books, her mom's clothes… etc…

Later, she placed it all in the attic.

Sakura felt really depressed about this. But she won't just sulk here. It happened already so there's nothing that she could do. She was about to have some rest when her cell phone rang.

"Yeah?"

A moment of silence…

"WHAT! NO! I don't wanna leave! I'm okay here!" She yelled at the phone.

Another moment of silence…

She hung up then threw the cell phone at the wall (Me: NOOOO! Cell phones are expensive ya know! Sakura: That was YOUR cell phone BTW… you borrowed it to me for this remember? Me: WAAAHHH!)

(A.N.: Sniff… sniff… you would know what they talked about in the later chapters or something… damn you SAKURA! Sakura: IT'S NOT MY FAULT! THE SCRIPT SAYS I SHOULD THROW IT AT THE WALL! Me: Huh? What? Sakura: YEAH! Sasuke: Look, it's over there. Me: WHO PUT THAT THERE! Sasuke: uh—you? Sakura: You mean you didn't put that there? Me: NARUTOOOOOOOO! Naruto: AAAAAAHHHHHH! Sakura-chan! SAVE ME! SHE'S SOOOO SCARY!)

Anyway, back to the story.

Sakura went to her bedroom as she dropped herself at the bed. She then sighed and drifted off to a slightly uncomfortable sleep.

She woke up in about three in the afternoon and her eyes were still hurting not to mention swollen. She went down towards the kitchen and drank a glass of cold water. She sat at the table as she listened the grand father clock which was situated on the living room make some loud ticking noise.

'_I feel so alone.'_

RING! RING! RING! (Me: It's the phone. Sasuke: We know. Me: SASUKE-KUN! Sasuke: YEESH! GET AWAY FROM ME FREAK! Me: Hey! CHICKEN HEAD! Sasuke: WHAT! Me: You think I'm a fan girl? Guess again. Yeah, you have looks but I'm not like them coughnoffensecough.)

She answered the phone.

"Hello? Sakura here." Sakura said weakly.

"Sakura? Are you okay now?" Neji's voice sounded and Sakura felt a wave of relief. Neji asked if he could come over or something or maybe do something to make her feel better. Sakura agreed and Neji told her that he's going to pick her up in twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes later…

"Hey Neji." Sakura said as she entered the car. Neji noticed her swollen eyes.

"I see that you have been crying." Neji said, one hand resting on the wheel. Sakura just looked down at her purple purse then clenched her fists. Neji looked at her.

"Where do you wanna go huh?"

"Anywhere." Sakura said, looking at the window. Neji nodded as they drove off. Neji heard Sakura sigh for about two times. They reached a restaurant and ate there. After that, they went for a saunter around the mall. It was already six as the skies darkened.

Neji drove until they were on top of a hill that viewed the whole city. Since his car is convertible, the roof folded off as Sakura slightly gasped in astonishment (at the scenery) and then looked at Neji.

"I think you would like this to have some… uh thinking time." Neji said, rubbing his hand on his nape. Sakura smiled gently at him which made him blush.

"Thank you Neji." Sakura said as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as the breeze passed by slowly and calmly. Neji couldn't help but stare at her. When Sakura looked at him, Neji blushed as he diverted his gaze to the scenery.

"Neji, why are you and Sasuke always fighting?" Sakura asked. Neji smirked.

"Some people say that we're almost identical but we're exactly opposite. Like Sasuke's ugly and I'm the opposite." Neji joked. Sakura laughed.

'_Finally, I made her laugh!'_

"Oh really Mr. I-think-I'm-so-handsome? But please explain this to me in an explicit manner, if you really are more handsome than Uchiha Sasuke, why does he have more fan girls?" Sakura asked mockingly. Neji looked at her and made a face. Sakura laughed harder.

When she stopped, she looked at Neji.

"Thank you Neji, for all of this and thank you for making me laugh even though I know that you're just cheering me up."

Neji didn't reply. He just stared at her.

"So are you feeling better now?" Neji asked. Sakura nodded.

"A lot."

"That's good." Neji said, smiling. Sakura felt herself blush seeing him smile.

"Neji… why are you always there when I need you? I mean, you were there when I was trouble and you were there to cheer me up when I'm overly depressed. And come to think of it, we were mortal enemies before." Sakura said. Neji was shocked at the question but he didn't reply. Instead, he just pulled out a giant bag of potato chips.

"I always have these in my car in case." Neji said as he opened it.

"Oh! My favorite!" Sakura said as she ate some of the potato chips. Actually, he let Sakura eat all of them. He just ate two pieces. When Sakura finished eating, she wiped her hands with some wet tissue that she carried in her purse then looked at Neji.

'_He's so handsome, generous, nice, considerate… Neji, be careful… I might be falling in love with you…'_

Surprisingly, Sakura went closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder. Neji looked at her as she looked back at him. Neji resisted the urge to kiss her.

"Thank you." She mouthed.

"You said that a million times already." Neji responded, smiling back at her. Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. She even felt more nervous when Neji wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Sakura felt that they were like a real couple.

"That's what friends do right?" Neji asked. Sakura's face fell into disappointment.

"Yeah… friends." Sakura mumbled. (Me: Aww… look at them. Sasuke: Hey! I was the one who saved her! Why not me instead! Neji: You're jealous? Sasuke: So what? Me: BOYS! BOYS! Stop that before this girl beside me would burst in anger and I would become a bloody pulp again!)

They arrived by nine in the evening and Neji walked her until the front porch. Sakura unlocked the door as she looked at Neji. Before she could say anything, Neji raised a hand.

"Don't say thanks." Neji warned. Sakura chuckled as she gave him a peck on the cheeks. Neji blushed as Sakura looked straight at his pearl white eyes (Me: Weird. No offense Hinata. Neji: Shut up) as she winked.

"Good night then." She said and went inside. Neji touched the area where she kissed him while staring at the door. When he finally came to his senses, he immediately went to his car and drove off. Sakura squealed in happiness as she threw her purse at the sofa and dropped herself in the other sofa.

"WAAAHHHHH! I KISSED NEJIIIII!" Sakura squealed. Okay, that's official. She has a crush on Hyuuga Neji.

'_**What are you being so happy about? It's just on the cheeks.'**_

'_Even so, I still had the chance to kiss him on the cheeks!'_

'_**You're SO hopeless. If I were you, I would celebrate if I could kiss Neji ON THE LIPS. Duh, many girls and boys kiss each other on the cheeks.'**_

'_Eh… shut up. Don't ruin the moment.'_

'_**Hey, that's what I'm here for right?'**_

"Sigh…" Sakura said as she stared up at the ceiling.

While at Neji…

Neji was grinning like a maniac (Me: OOC but I think he's cute when he grins. Neji: Ahem.) while he drove towards his house. When he went inside the large Hyuuga Estate, he greeted Hinata, who stood frozen at her tracks staring at Neji.

'_Did he just… greet me? And why is he grinning like that?'_

Hinata stared at Neji until he turned into a corner to go to his bedroom. Hinata raised an eyebrow but soon shook her head. Something happened and she was sure of it.

Hinata went to Neji's bedroom as she knocked on the large doors.

"Who is it?" Neji asked.

"It's me Neji-san. Is Sakura okay? I heard that you went to her house earlier." Hinata replied. She heard some shuffling and Neji opened the door while wearing an emotionless face.

"She's okay. First time I saw her, she was crying but she's fine now…" Neji said monotonously. Hinata nodded as she left. Neji closed the door, leaned on it then smiled.

"What the fuck have you done to me Haruno Sakura?" He mumbled, staring at the beautiful chandelier that was hanging in the middle of the room (Me: His room is huge BTW.). Hinata went to her bedroom as she turned the computer on.

_**Byakuganheiress is on**_

_**Weaponsrule is on**_

_**Pinkblossom is on**_

_**PrettyblondeIno is on**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: Yo, pinky, you okay now?**_

_**Pinkblossom: Yep. **_

_**Weaponsrule: You feel A LOT better am I right? **_

_**Pinkblossom: Ah-huh. Absolutely.**_

_**Byakuganheiress: Hey everyone!**_

_**Pinkblossom: HEY HINATA! **_

_**Weaponsrule: Holla.**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: Wassup?**_

_**Byakuganheiress: Neji just got home and he was grinning madly. What surprised me even more is that he even greeted me when he passed by!**_

_**Weaponsrule: Greeted you? That's strange. I thought he somewhat hated you.**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: Wonder what's gotten into him. He came home late and he was grinning? Hmm… maybe he has got a girl friend already!**_

_**Weaponsrule: WHAT! But I thought he's cold and has a baaaad attitude!**_

_**Pinkblossom: He's not really that cold and he's not bad.**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: And how could you be sure?**_

_**Pinkblossom: Because remember the time when I got the accident? He and Sasuke were there all day long, acting as though they are my body guards or something.**_

_**Weaponsrule: Since you mentioned that… I wonder why Sasuke and Neji did that. **_

_**PrettyblondeIno: Block head. It's TOTTALY O-bvious! The two both love her! You go girl! **_

_**Byakuganheiress: Yeah, Ino's right. They also fought each other for you. It's practically obvious Sakura. **_

_**Pinkblossom: Ha. Ha. Ha. Don't make me laugh. I'm friends with Neji and Sasuke.**_

_**Weaponsrule: But if you're only a friend to them, why waste Neji's friendship with Sasuke? Naruto and Shikamaru are Neji and Sasuke's best friends and they even let some people pulverize Naruto.**_

_**Pinkblossom: Naruto's brain is equivalent to the size of a pea. He always gets into trouble. Besides, I'm a girl and maybe they think I need more protection. **_

_**PrettyblondeIno: Just citing the facts.**_

_**Pinkblossom: That's not a fast. It's just a small theory.**_

_**Byakuganheiress: Sakura, Neji went to your house earlier right? Did something happen?**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: GASP!**_

_**Pinkblossom: Great. All we need is another dirty minded girl in our group. It's not what you think. Neji went to my house earlier to check up on me and we sort of spent some time together.**_

_**Weaponsrule: WHAT! YOU MEAN A DATE!**_

_**Pinkblossom: It's not a date.**_

_**PrettyblondeIno: It is. Whether you like it or not, it is still considered a date Sakura. Did Neji propose to you or kiss you or something?**_

_**Pinkblossom: NO! We didn't do anything. We just strolled around town and that's about it.**_

_**Weaponsrule: Is it me or is Neji worried for her? He checked up on her for pete's sake! **_

_**Pinkblossom: TENTEN, INO AND HINATA… please inculcate this on your minds… WE ARE JUST FRIENDS. Okay, maybe close friends but just friends.**_

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A.N.: Ooh, okay, Sakura now has a crush on Hyuuga Neji… how would Sasuke react if he knew? This would be pretty interesting!

Read and review everyone!

Ethereal Infernia


	10. Chapter 10

A.N.: Hey peepz! It's the one and only Ethereal Infernia here! If ya'll like SasuSaku pairings (or maybe even addicted to it… I am) I suggest you read my other story entitled 'Retrieving of what has been lost'. The 'rules' here are simply. First, read. Then, review! Simple as that! The more you review the faster I update! And oh! No FLAMERS allowed ok?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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It was lunch and Sakura and her comrades were under the usual cherry blossom tree, eating their respective foods. Sakura stared up at the rooftop where Neji's group usually hangs out as she saw Neji, leaning on the metal railings, smiling at her.

'_OMFG! He's SMILING at me!'_

"Uh—Sakura?" Ino asked, waving a hand before her face as Sakura looked at her.

"Sakura, you okay? You look red." Tenten said while looking at her. Sakura shook her head and told them that she's just fine. She looked up again and saw that Sasuke had his back facing her and he was leaning on his elbows on the railings and he was exactly a feet away from Neji, who was still staring at her.

RIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGG! The school bell rang loudly as it echoed throughout the campus. Sakura and the other three got up and went inside. When she went in, Neji's group wasn't there yet. And since their next subject is History, then their sensei would be REALLY late (I mean Kakashi).

Sakura went to the window as she stared at the view outside. She heard Neji's group come in and felt that she was being stared at. She ignored it completely and continued to stare outside. The campus grounds were quiet (except the building) and it was now completely deserted.

"What are you thinking?" came a voice behind her and immediately noticed that it was Sasuke's voice. Sakura smirked.

"Oh, and I thought Sasuke never cares about anyone or should I say doesn't care what other people think." Sakura remarked. Sasuke scoffed at her remark but he didn't reply her question. Sakura felt that Neji was now burning holes in her back (not literally, duh).

"Uh—Sasuke, I think you should go. I think I don't want to have a fight between you two again." Sakura said, looking up at the sky. Sasuke looked at Neji, as electric sparks flew across the room again.

"I don't care what the fuck he wants but I do what I want." Sasuke cursed. Neji stood up as he went to them. Ino, Tenten and Hinata were staring at the whole scene.

"Uh-oh. I smell trouble brewing." Ino whispered as the other two nodded. Naruto and Shikamaru went quiet as well, staring at the scene.

"Damn it, why don't they stop?" Naruto hissed. Shikamaru yawned but he could feel the tense atmosphere growing inside the classroom. He looked at the girls, who were watching as well. He stared at Ino but when Ino's gaze diverted towards him, he quickly looked at the trio who were currently at the window while blushing like a tomato.

"Hey Sakura." Neji said, standing beside Sakura. Sasuke glared at him while Neji looked innocent and completely ignored him. Sakura felt her heart beat faster. Neji was beside her!

"H-Hi Neji-kun." Sakura stuttered. Both Neji and Sasuke stared at her.

'_Neji… KUN?'_

Sakura realized of the magnitude of what she had just said as she worriedly glanced at Sasuke, who looked calm but she could tell that he was REALLY mad and REALLY upset. She thought of something that could calm him down. Neji was already smirking.

"Sasuke-kun was just giving me some company." Sakura said instantly. Sasuke's rage evaporated instantly as he gave a mocking smirk back at Neji, who scowled.

'_If I both call them with a suffix, they would think that they're equal. They're my friends so it's okay if I call them that.'_

'_**That was brilliant. You go girl.'**_

Ino and Tenten's eyes were as big as saucers and wondered when the heck she started calling Sakura's former enemies with a sweet suffix. Hinata was shocked but she looked calm. Naruto however had his jaw dropped to the ground while Shikamaru gave out a yawn.

"Troublesome rivalry." He muttered. Naruto closed his mouth when he noticed that a fly was flying towards it (Me: Eew.). Naruto shook the thought off as he watched Sasuke and Neji give glares at each other again. Sakura looked… absent minded.

"If you two won't stop fighting I would personally ignore you for the rest of my life." Sakura said out of the blue. Practically all of their classmates were now watching the whole ordeal. Everything was quiet but somehow, the trio didn't care.

"Why are you two always fighting anyway?" Sakura asked, turning around, facing the two while her elbows leaned on the window frame. Sasuke and Neji just stared blankly at her, both of them not interested in answering that question.

"Okay, I see you two won't answer that question." Sakura mumbled.

"Can I ask you two to leave me alone for a while?" Sakura asked, sighing. Neji nodded as he left with Sasuke on his heels. Sakura gave a large sigh of relief. Then she proceeded to stare at the empty campus grounds and sometimes on the cherry blossom trees.

'_This day is downright boring.'_

'_**You can say THAT again.'**_

------

Sakura was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was really deep in thought but was interrupted when her cell phone rang (she got a new one!) and grabbed it.

"Yeah? Sakura here."

"Sakura? Uh—this is—Neji." Neji said. Sakura noticed that his voice was kinda nervous or excited but either way, she can't really tell specifically. Sakura's breathing came a little bit faster and her heart was pounding.

"Neji-kun!" She gasped. She heard Neji laugh. Inner Sakura was sighing while Sakura looked dreamy. Only very few people hears him laugh.

"Sakura, are you free tonight?" Neji asked. Sakura gave a slight squeal. She hoped that he was going to say what she thought he is going to say. Sakura stood up as she faced the window and stared at the beautiful scenery.

"Yep. What about it?"

"Do you wanna go to the amusement park for a while? Like a date or something?"

Sakura held her breath.

'_Whoa, did he say a… DATE! OMG! HE DID!'_

'_**HELL YEAH! I'M going to a date with NEJI! WWWOOOOOOOOOOO! TAKE THAT FAN GIRLS! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'**_

"A date?" Sakura tried to keep her voice calm. Inner Sakura was dancing in happiness inside her head.

"Yeah, a date. So, can you?" Neji asked again. Now, Sakura knew that he was nervous on asking. Sakura said that she'll be glad. Neji smiled.

"Pick you up in twenty minutes." He said and before she could say anything in return, he hung up.

"TWENTY MINUTES!"

-----

Twenty minutes later…

Sakura had a flowing lilac flower skirt, a baby pink sleeveless halter top, and a pair of purple doll shoes. She had grown fond of doll shoes since Neji bought her one. Then she pony tailed her hair with a sparkling lilac ribbon that complemented her pink hair. She used powder and lip gloss only.

She heard Neji's car as she gave a deep breath and went outside gracefully. Neji wore a pair of baggy khaki pants, white shoes, and a printed green shirt with a jacket topping it off.

"You look great Sakura." Neji complemented. Sakura blushed.

"You too." She replied, blushing like an idiot. Since she was too busy trying not to blush really hard, she didn't notice that Neji was blushing as well. And like a gentleman, he opened the door for her as she clambered in. Neji went to the other side and did the same.

"To the amusement park." Sakura chuckled.

-----

At the amusement park…

"So… where to?" Neji asked, looking around. Sakura eyed the ferries wheel. Since it was already night, the scene from the ferries wheel would be breath taking, not to mention romantic. But before that, they rode the horror train (Neji almost grew deaf from Sakura's screaming and his arm was growing numb because of her grip), the roller coaster (Sakura almost fainted), and then they went to the ferries wheel.

When they were on the topmost position, Sakura gasped as she looked at the scene. She was right, it was absolutely breathtaking. Neji was sitting in front of her.

"Look at this! It's so beautiful!" Sakura said, leaning better on the window pane. Neji was staring at her.

"Yeah, beautiful." He mumbled as he continued to stare. Sakura looked at him and Neji had the courage not to look away. Sakura cocked her head in a cute way.

"Neji-kun, why did you bring me here?" Sakura asked. Neji gulped and his heart was beating painfully against his chest. He had to do this now.

"Sakura… I…I…"

"I…?" Sakura asked. Neji was now stuttering.

"I…I n-need to t-tell you so—something." Neji said. Great, he was now like Hinata. Sakura just stared at him, and she too was nervous. Neji gave a deep breath as he went beside Sakura and cupped her head.

"N-Neji—k—kun… what—"before Sakura could say anything, Neji kissed her. And since Sakura feels the same way, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to him.

When they parted, Neji smiled at her.

"I love you Sakura." He said. Sakura now had tears in her eyes. She was speechless at the moment and even though that she has her voice, she would only say four words.

"I love you too." Sakura replied gently. Neji looked at her.

"What? You do?"

"Yeah!" Sakura said happily, nodding as Neji hugged her. (Me: Aww… so sweet. Sasuke: Dammit.). The two shared another passionate kiss. Both of them were really happy (Duh, of course) and enjoyed their first night, together as a couple.

-----

"WWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Ino's loud voice echoed around the campus after what Sakura just told her. Tenten had her jaw dropped to the ground and Hinata was flabbergasted.

"Sa—Sakura! And Neji!" Hinata mumbled, as Sakura nodded. Tenten hugged her REALLY tight until Sakura became purple.

"Hey Tenten, you're killing her!" Hinata said as Tenten let go.

"I'm SO HAPPY FOR YOU BIG FOREHEAD! Oh wow! Never thought that you two would be together!" Ino said, giving her a bear hug.

"I'm happy for you Sakura." Hinata said as Sakura thanked her.

"Me too!" Tenten said as she joined the hug. Hinata chuckled and Sakura became purple again. While at the rooftop, Sasuke was DEAD upset and hurt even though he never admits it. Neji was giving her a mocking glare.

Later…

Sasuke approached Neji as Naruto gulped. Neji readied himself.

Much to their absolute surprise, Sasuke reached out his hand.

"I lose. Congrats Neji." He said. Neji was shocked but he shook his hand anyway. Naruto was whining again and again about Neji having his Sakura (Neji whacked him in the head for that).

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A.N.: Sasusaku fans, don't complain yet! There is more to come!

Read and review!

Ethereal Infernia


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

It was after classes and Sakura was now alone inside the classroom. She packed her things and stared at the setting sun outside. She smiled and closed her bag.

"Hey." Neji greeted as Sakura jumped in surprise and when she turned her head, Neji pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.

"Do you really have to give me a heart attack?" Sakura said as Neji smiled and gave a peck at her nose. Sakura giggled as she heaved her bag.

"Sorry. I just like sneaking on to people." Neji replied, placing an arm around her waist. Sakura smiled warmly at him as they left the classroom. Without them noticing, a pair of red eyes carefully watched as the couple disappeared from view.

-----

It has been a week since Sakura and Neji got together and so far, they're doing great. Naruto was somehow finally noticing Hinata little by little and well, Sasuke came back to his old demeanor. Shikamaru is still the same though.

"Neji-kun…" Sakura said as Neji looked at her. They were currently at Sakura's house. Sakura was leaning on the metal railings on the balcony while Neji was behind her, hugging her from the back. They watched the sunset together.

"Yeah?" Neji whispered. It sent shivers down Sakura's spine.

"Does Shikamaru like Ino or something?" Sakura asked again, as Neji chuckled. Sakura smiled as well… well she's always smiling whenever Neji's around.

"Maybe. Why did you ask?"

"Nothing. Shikamaru turns red whenever Ino's around and when she's around, he suddenly becomes quiet and when he speaks, especially to Ino, he's kinda stuttering or something." Sakura replied. Neji hugged Sakura tighter as Sakura raised a hand to his cheek.

"What have you done to me Sakura?" Neji asked. Sakura looked at him as she turned around to face him, but she was still leaning on to the railings.

"What do you mean Neji-kun?" Sakura asked, cocking her head. Neji smiled.

"I'm practically crazy about you. Sometimes, I even think that I love you too much. Now I'm wondering why I'm not in a mental asylum at the moment." Neji said. Sakura began to laugh.

"All I can think about is you too Neji-kun." Sakura responded. Neji went near to Sakura's ear.

"I love you too much." He said and began kissing her ear. Sakura smiled as Neji moved his lips to kiss her and it took them for a long time to stop (what lung capacity…). Neji started to nibble at Sakura's neck.

"Neji…" She moaned his name. Neji craved for her, he wanted her so badly. He wanted to hear her call out or moan his name. Her voice is like melody to his ears and he wanted it. Sakura caressed Neji's soft hair and she liked the feeling.

They stumbled into the bed with Neji on top of her and began kissing her again. He started to unbutton her blouse and Sakura's eyes widened. When her blouse was off (she wondered how he did it), his hands reached on her back and un strapped her bra.

By morning…

Neji stared at Sakura's pale face and even though that she was covered in a blanket, he still could see her naked body. Neji hugged her protectively and held her close.

"Neji…" he heard her mumble in her sleep. Neji smiled as he kissed her hair that smelled like flowers. Sakura's eyes fluttered open as she looked at Neji, looking sleepy.

"You… are such a meanie." Sakura joked as Neji chuckled and started to kiss her again. Sakura moaned in between kisses as Neji smiled. Sakura looked at the bed side table and at the clock.

"OH shit! We're going to be late!" Sakura yelled. She yanked the blanket as Neji pulled it.

"Hey! I'm also naked!" Neji yelled.

"I already saw your body so there's no point in you getting embarrassed!" Sakura protested, trying to take the blanket. Neji smirked.

"And FYI, I already saw your body so why are you covering yourself huh? We're just equal." Neji replied. Sakura groaned and with Neji off guard, she yanked the blanket away from him and ran. Neji grabbed her wrist and threw her to the bed.

"NEJI!" She yelled as Neji kissed her neck. Sakura had to bite back a moan.

"Neji… we're… going to be late!" Sakura said exasperatedly.

"I don't wanna go to classes today. I just wanna be with you. Please?" Neji asked, trying to give her those irresistible look. Sakura stared at him, slightly frustrated. It took five whole minutes before Sakura sighed.

"You're lucky I love you or else I won't even agree. Now get off me. I wanna take a bath." Sakura said and Neji obeyed her. Sakura went to the bathroom to take a bath while Neji put on his shorts and went to the kitchen.

30 minutes later…

'_Why do women take so long to take a darn bath?' _Neji thought as he eyed the bathroom door. He was thinking about breaking doors when Sakura came out, wrapped in a towel and her hair was soaked.

"What took you so long?" Neji said hotly. Sakura eyed him.

"Long? I was only there for thirty minutes."

'_I'll never understand women.' _Neji thought as he went to the bathroom and Sakura's scent lingered around his nose. He filled the tub with water again.

------

"Both of them are absent." Naruto remarked, looking at Sakura and Neji's seat. Sasuke now has some suspicions about their absence. Shikamaru yawned.

"Maybe both of them want to spend time with each other." Shikamaru replied. Sasuke looked at him.

"Sakura isn't the type who makes absences." Sasuke responded. Naruto stared at their math teacher, Korenai with a bored look in his eyes then stared at Sasuke.

"Oh? How did you know?" Naruto asked sheepishly. Sasuke scoffed.

"It's obvious. Figure it out yourself dobe." Sasuke replied coolly. Naruto almost punched him in the face for that but he abstained himself from doing so or else their sensei would get mad and give him detention… again.

Sasuke clenched his fists and turned livid in anger but he tried to restrain himself from storming out of the room and try to find both of them. He tried to take the fact that Neji won but his pride couldn't swallow it. He also loves Sakura very much and he swore that he would NEVER give up on her.

-------

Back at Sakura's house…

"Sakura, was I your first?" Neji asked as Sakura's eyes widened as she accidentally coughed. Neji raised an eyebrow as he smirked at her reaction.

"Wha—How could you say that?" Sakura asked, her eyes as big as saucers. Neji smiled. Her reaction was too funny.

"I can tell." Neji replied coolly, taking a bite. They were currently eating break fast. There was a moment of silence and he noticed that Sakura was now staring at him with a hurt look in her eyes.

"What?"

"So… you had past relationships? Did you just do that like what you normally do to your girl friends huh?" Sakura asked angrily. It was now Neji's turn to cough as he hurriedly drank some water.

"No!" He said. Suddenly, he blushed.

"You're my first as well." Neji mumbled. Sakura stared at him as she burst out laughing. Neji gave her a death glare but she ignored it.

"Oh man… that was just too funny." Sakura said, wiping the tears at the side of her eyes with one finger. Neji still death glared her.

"Oh don't be mad Neji-kun! We're just equal!"

"Yeah but it's so unfair that you laughed at me while I didn't." Neji replied angrily.

"So… what made you do that to me then huh?" Sakura asked, interested. Neji couldn't believe what they're talking about right now, and they were eating!

"Blame yourself for making yourself so irresistible." Neji replied, as he continued to eat. Sakura noticed how adorable Neji was right now, blushing like that. He was so red. Blushing is obvious when you're pale skinned ya know.

RING! RING! RING!

Sakura's cell phone rang but Neji looked at the number and when he did, his eyebrows met.

"Who is it Neji-kun?" Sakura asked. Much to Sakura's horror, Neji was the one who answered the phone instead.

"What do you want?" Neji asked, obviously angry, which made Sakura confused.

At the other line…

Sasuke's eyes widened when he heard Neji's voice. What was he doing this early in Sakura's house? He hoped that it isn't what he think it is.

"Hyuuga, may I ask what you're doing in Sakura's house right now?" Sasuke asked angrily. Naruto and Shikamaru both looked at him.

"I am her boy friend Uchiha, and I have every right to be in her house or be with her wherever she may be. And that is practically none of your business, now what do you want? Why did you call?" Neji asked. Sasuke could hear Sakura gasp.

"Did you two do something last night?" Sasuke asked, clenching his fists tighter. Naruto's eyes widened (as in REALLY wide) and gasped loudly. Shikamaru was now listening.

"Again, none of your business. Tell me what you want to say to Sakura or else I would hang up." Neji warned. Sasuke smirked.

Instead, it was Sasuke who hung up.

"Dammit." Neji cursed as he placed the cell phone at the table again. Sakura had that concerned look in her eyes as she looked rather stared at him.

"Neji-kun, I thought you two were friends. Why are you so mad?" Sakura asked. Neji looked at her.

"Is Sasuke frequently calling you?" Neji asked while Sakura creased her face, looking deep in thought. Then, she nodded.

"Not frequently, but he still calls me." Sakura replied. Neji went angry.

"Why is he always calling you?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"He said he just wants to check up on me and well… he calls me every night or every morning. Every morning to wake me up or every night to see if I'm okay." Sakura responded, confused of her boy friend's actions.

"Sakura, I want you to promise me something." Neji said, trying to calm himself down. Sakura nodded.

"Sure."

"I want you to promise me that whenever Sasuke calls, you won't answer it. Got that?" Neji asked as Sakura cocked her head again.

"Neji-kun, I thought you and Sasuke are now friends. Why are you acting like you're jealous or something?" Sakura asked. Neji's eyes went gentle for a moment.

"Knowing Sasuke, he won't give up that easily. And I just wanna make sure that he doesn't do anything to you. In short, I still don't trust him." Neji replied. Sakura held his hand.

"Neji-kun, I love you and you know that." Sakura said gently while smiling at him. Neji caressed her palm with his thumb as he looked at Sakura and smiled.

"I know and I love you too that's why I just wanna make sure you're always safe." Neji replied. Sakura giggled as she finished her meal and decided to wash it. Neji followed suit and Neji even insisted that he'll be the one who'll do the dishes.

"Are you sure that you can do it?" Sakura asked, placing a hand on her waist. Neji rolled up his sleeves as he looked at her.

"Why did you say that? It's just washing." Neji replied, turning the faucet on. Sakura chuckled.

"I thought rich people don't do the dishes." Sakura replied, and this time, she proceeded to hug Neji from the back. Neji smiled.

(Me: Aww… they're so sweet. I wish I had a life like that… Sigh… I wonder how it feels having a boy friend… Sakura: WHAT! You still haven't got a SINGLE boy friend EVER SINCE? Me: Why? Is that bad? Sakura: OMG! Me: Yes people. That IS true. Sadly… sniff…)

"I already told you, not all rich people are not what you think." Neji said and started to do the work. Sakura snuggled in Neji's back and Neji started to laugh.

"Teddy." She mumbled. Neji laughed even more.

"Now I'm your teddy bear." He mumbled, and he liked the feeling. Sakura chuckled and breathed in Neji's scent. She was a little bit addicted to his perfume… and she knew by the scent that it was pretty expensive.

'_What did I do to deserve such a guy?'_

'_**HELL YEAH MAN! I'M IN CLOUD NINE!'**_

When Neji finished the dishes, he wiped his hands with a towel as Sakura hugged him tightly. Neji smiled as he hugged her back. After five whole minutes, Sakura let go and then checked her watch. It was already ten.

"So… don't tell me that we're just going to hang out here in my house." Sakura said. Neji smiled.

"We are." Neji said. Sakura had an idea.

"I have an idea! What if we watch a movie huh!" Sakura asked. Neji raised an eyebrow and asked what kind of move they're going to watch. They went to a video shop.

"Know what? We wouldn't be here if my parents were still alive." Sakura mumbled, checking some videos. Neji was in the action and horror section while Sakura was in the romantic section.

"If only…" Sakura mumbled.

(Me: If only is a movie that I watched starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and its story is that the guy dreamed that his girl friend died. When he woke up, he tried to stop fate or destiny from happening and when the car crashed like in the dream, he protected the girl and thus, he died instead of his girl friend. Something like that… Sakura: Oh… did you cry? Me: Oh yes. I cried even on the first half of the story… I'm so sensitive…)

Neji bought at least three videos. Two horror movies and one action movie. Sakura got one video (If only) and bought it as well.

Back at the house… Sakura got the popcorn and the sodas ready and they decided to watch Sakura's pick first. Sakura placed a box of tissues.

"What's THAT for?" Neji asked, sitting at the couch. Sakura sat beside him.

"Just in case." Sakura said as Neji rolled his eyes, got the remote and played the video.

Ten minutes later…

Sakura gasped as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Neji's eyes just widened. Sakura quickly grabbed the box, and started crying.

"Oh my God!" Sakura gasped over and over again. Neji looked down at her as he smirked. Sakura was now crunching the tissue in her hands.

An hour later…

"Neji-kun…" Sakura asked as they watched the couple enter a small hut and started talking. Neji looked at her. Sakura's eyes were pretty swollen.

"Yeah?"

"Could you stop fate from happening?" Sakura asked, looking at him. Neji fell deep in thought as he looked at the TV and noticed that the couple started to do 'it'. He looked back at Sakura.

"For me, of course."

"And how? Your death is already written. How can you avoid it?" Sakura asked again. Neji held her tighter as he sighed. He thought of something that he could say back to her.

"You can avoid it if you'll try hard enough." Neji replied, not knowing what to say to her. Sakura snuggled close to him as she started crying again. Neji sighed.

"Why did you choose this movie anyway?" Neji asked, staring at the CD case. Sakura sniffed as she pulled out another tissue. Neji sweat dropped anime style.

"I love sad movies. The problem is, I'm really sensitive." Sakura replied, blowing her nose. Neji smirked as he looked back at the TV.

"If I were that man (on the movie), I would have done the same thing." Sakura heard Neji mumble. Sakura gave a slight chuckle as she hugged him tighter.

45 minutes later…

Okay, now Sakura was now crying like Neji just died or something. Neji sweat dropped again and the movie ended. He turned it off as he comforted Sakura.

"Hey Sakura, I'm still here." Neji joked as Sakura lightly punched him.

"It's…just…so…sad…" Sakura said as she started to calm herself down. Neji eyed the horror movies as he played another one. Wow, they're having a movie marathon!

30 minutes later…

"WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sakura yelled, holding on to Neji, who was laughing hard.

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU LAUGHING!" Sakura asked as Neji sniffed. Soon, he started sniggering but burst out laughing again.

"You… look… so… funny!" Neji said as he struggled for air.

"WWAAHHH!" Sakura yelled again. Neji smirked as he turned it off.

"You want to continue watching?" He asked, grinning at her. Sakura glared at him.

"NO!" She yelled childishly, pouting. Neji leaned down and started kissing her again. A few minutes later, Sakura pulled away and smiled at him. Then, she leaned on his chest and closed her eyes.

"I'm… sleepy." She said. Neji checked the watch. It was one in the afternoon. He smiled as he carried Sakura in bridal style and brought her towards the bedroom. He lied down beside her and covered themselves with the blanket.

"Sleep well… my Sakura." He mumbled, kissing her on the forehead before drifting on to sleep.

----

"I wonder why Sakura and Neji are both absent today." Tenten asked as they had their lunch. Ino raised her shoulders and put it down again. Hinata looked at them.

"Neji didn't go home yesterday."

"What?" Ino asked, coughing on her food. Tenten looked at her.

"Do you think he's been with Sakura all day long?" Tenten asked, her eyes widening. Hinata shrugged at her question and sweat dropped.

"Probably. Sasuke called her earlier and he's been in a bad mood ever since. Maybe he knew that Neji is with her." Hinata said. Ino sighed.

"It's so unfair that she gets two handsome guys." Ino said, sighing.

-----

Sasuke kicked a stone angrily as it hit a tree and created a small hole. Sasuke stared at it in surprise and ignored it soon after.

'_It's so unfair! I was the one with her during one of the most difficult times of her life yet she chose Neji!'_

He ignored the girls who were giggling at him and those who greeted him. He wondered why Sakura didn't fall for his looks, like the other girls did. Now he knew that Sakura is unique. Actually, he already realized that since he first saw her because instead of her eyes forming like hearts, she even yelled at him.

"Damn." He cursed as he went to his car and decided to skip class. He turned on his car and quickly drove off.

-----

A.N.: Poor Sasuke…

Sasuke: Shut up. Don't feel pity on me, I don't need that.

Me: You're so mean.

Sasuke: …

Me: Anyway, no flamers folks okay?

Naruto: READ AND REVIEW!

Ethereal Infernia


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

At the airport, a navy haired girl with electric blue eyes walked gracefully towards the exit followed by two other guards and two men who were the ones bringing her humungous bags. She flipped her hair in a flirty way making some boys stare at her. She smirked.

'_Neji-kun would be SO surprised to see me… and he would be happy!'_

----

Meanwhile, at school, Ino, Tenten and Hinata were sitting altogether in a bunch inside their classroom since their teacher is kinda late. They glanced at Sakura and Neji, who were cuddled with each other at the far corner. Ino groaned.

"Dammit. She only gets a boy friend and she forgets us!" Ino whined. Tenten had to agree.

"They are both too absorbed with each other. Look at Sasuke, he looks like he's going to blow any minute now." Tenten said, pointing the fuming Uchiha a few seats away from them with his arms crossed.

"Speaking of the devil, here she comes." Ino whispered to them as Sakura went beside Ino and greeted them, and only Hinata was the one who greeted back. Sakura eyed the other two who were now partly angry at her.

"Hmm? What's wrong with the two of you?" She asked. Ino glared at her.

"Sakura, honestly, who is more important to you? Your boy friend or us? Would it kill you if you treat us equally!" Ino protested and Sakura was taken aback by her remark.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What Ino meant is that you're spending too much time with Neji that you don't have time with us. We're your best friends for pete's sake! We've been together long before Neji did and we deserve even just a little amount of your time!" Tenten said.

"I'm sorry but I have to agree Sakura-chan. Since you and Neji-san got together, you seldom talk to us because you're always with him." Hinata added. Sakura's mouth was hanging open staring blankly at them with utter stupefaction.

"We deserve an apology!" Ino and Tenten said at the same time.

"And promise us that you won't do this again." Hinata added quietly. Sakura stared at the three of them and soon after, she closed her mouth and gave out a sigh.

"Okay… I'm sorry. I got too absorbed with Neji that's why I didn't have time with you and I promise I won't do this again. So… how about some girl time this coming Saturday hmm?" Sakura suggested as the three's faces brightened and nodded happily.

"I need to tell Neji first because maybe he has some plans this Saturday." Sakura said while standing up as she proceeded to go to her boy friend. Ino and the other two watched her talk to Neji, as Neji stole a glance at them, then looked at Sakura and nodded. Ino and Tenten gave each other a high five as Sakura happily went back to them.

"He agrees." She said as Hinata gave a small smile.

------

"Setsuko-san! So nice to see you again!" The woman with navy hair greeted as she entered the Hyuuga Estate as Mrs. Hyuuga greeted her and engaged her in a hug.

(A.N.: I don't know what Neji's mom's name is so I'm just going to name her Setsuko. And Hizashi is alive here. However, Neji still somewhat hates Hinata and her family a little because Neji's grandfather gave the larger scale of the family treasure to him. Neji called this as a grave injustice.)

"Ran! This is a surprise!" Setsuko greeted as they let go of each other as she studied Ran in arm's length.

"My! You've grown more beautifully now Ran!"

"Thank you Setsuko-san. By the way, where's Hizashi-san?" Ran asked, looking around. Setsuko motioned her to sit on the couch as the servant served tem with tea.

"He's out of town as usual. He's busy."

"And Neji-kun?"

"Oh, Neji! He's at school today… He would be really happy to see you again Ran…" Setsuko giggled as Ran grew tomato red. Ran always had that crush on Neji since they were little. Ran and Neji were childhood friends. Mrs. Hyuuga knew about her crush on Neji.

"So, where are you staying Ran?"

"At the Ichizawa hotel…"

"Why don't you stay here instead?" Setsuko asked, sipping some tea. Ran shook her head.

"No thanks Setsuko-san. I wanna surprise Neji. Anyway, I came back here to study. Please don't tell him yet." Ran smiled gently at her as Setsuko raised a perfect eyebrow.

"So… you mean you're going to stay here for a while? Where are you going to study?"

"In Neji's school of course…" Ran started as she smiled.

"…And I would be here for a long time…"

-----

The next day…

"Class! Class! Pay attention please! AND MR. UZUMAKI! STOP PUNCHING MR. NARA!" Kurenai yelled at the top of her lungs as Naruto slumped at his chair and Shikamaru gave out a sigh of relief.

"We have a new student today that just came from America." Kurenai started as everyone started to buzz with excitement. Neji and Sasuke looked normal and Sakura looked pretty bored. Ino gave out a yawn while Tenten ignored her and scribbled something in her notebook.

"QUIET! As I was saying, she just came from America. (looks at the door) Please come in." She said as the girl went inside.

It was Ran.

The boys immediately burst out in whistles and in cheers. Neji however, looked red and somewhat in shock and Sasuke noticed it immediately. Naruto gave out a fox whistle, much to Hinata's dismay. Ino and Sakura looked at each other.

Ran's eyes traveled across the room and she easily spotted the milky eyed Hyuuga Neji sitting beside a hot and handsome raven haired guy. She immediately waved at him.

"Hey Neji-kun! Nice to see you!" She yelled happily, which made everyone, especially Sakura stare at the red Neji. Kurenai cleared her throat.

"Her name is Ran Suboshi and would be staying with us the whole year round!" Kurenai said as Ran bowed to them and waved.

"Ms. Suboshi, please sit beside Mr. Fujima at the right hand corner. Mr. Fujima, please raise your hand so that Ms. Suboshi here could see you." Kurenai said as the excited looking Fujima raised his hand and waved it around like a maniac. With one wink at Neji, she proceeded to her seat.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other as Sakura looked at Neji, who was still staring at Ran intently.

'_**WHAT THE FUCK! SHE JUST CALLED MY NEJI NEJI-KUN! Does Neji know her or something and why the fuck is he turning all red and staring at her! She even had the nerve to wink at him in such a public crowd!'**_

'_Shut up. I'm trying to think.'_

"What the heck?" Tenten whispered to Ino who stared at Ran with full hatred in her eyes. Tenten looked at Hinata.

"Who is she and why does Neji look… um… shocked?"

"Petrified." Ino corrected her.

"She's Ran Suboshi, she's Neji-san's childhood friend and she's clearly having a crush on him. However, she's really rich and her family is powerful as well since their family is also the head of a large organization. You can call it a gang." Hinata explained. Sakura whipped her head.

"Hinata, what is the name of the gang that they're ruling on?"

"Hmm… I think it's Crimson." Hinata creased her face in thought. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"THAT gang? That's one of the largest gangs here in Japan. More like a yakuza gang of some sort. And they have an island by the northeastern part of the country where they gather together once a year to sell some really expensive stuff." Sakura mumbled. Ino stared at her.

"How did you know such great information huh?" Ino asked. Sakura snapped up as she waved her hands in defense.

"Oh nothing! I'm just reading my books that's all!" She said.

"SAKURA! INO! TENTEN AND HINATA! STOP TALKING!" Kurenai yelled as Hinata flushed red with embarrassment while Sakura glared at her. Ino just gave a small 'hmph' while Tenten shot one last glare at Ran, who was busy ignoring Fujima.

"I hate her." Sakura cursed.

Sakura shot a glance at Neji, who was now staring blankly at his table with the amused looking Sasuke beside him.

'_So he doesn't know she just arrived. And Ino's right. He's petrified.'_

------

Lunch.

"Sakura, why aren't you with Neji hmm?" Ino asked as they proceeded to sit under the cherry blossom tree as Sakura climbed up the tree and sat at her usual branch.

"He's currently talking with Ran." Sakura replied roughly, and started on eating their lunch.

"You should always be with him Sakura. Ran is here and she might steal Neji away from you." Tenten said as Hinata nodded in agreement. Sakura smirked.

"That's no prob. If Neji really loves me then he won't go with Ran. It's his decision whether he should remain loyal to me or not." Sakura responded, taking a sip on her juice. Hinata and Ino looked at each other.

"That's deep." Tenten muttered.

"But Sakura, Setsuko-san does not yet know that Neji-san has a girl friend and she's really approves on Ran. If Ran would know that Neji has a girl friend that has a lower status than her, no offense, then she would go off and tell Setsuko-san." Hinata explained. Sakura looked down on her.

"I don't care if that would happen. I love Neji and that's it. Love can do miracles and I believe in that. Even if Ran would send some thugs to ambush me so that she could get Neji, so be it. I'm not afraid of her just because she's powerful and all that."

"But Sakura…"

"And besides, I already met Neji's parents and they seem nice. Even though Mrs. Hyuuga approves of Ran, I would prove to her that even though I am lower in status, I'll show her that Neji still deserves a woman like me." Sakura winked. Hinata gave a relieved smile.

"You go warrior girl." Ino said sarcastically.

"Sakura…" Tenten said while staring at something.

"Hmmm?"

"Ran. She's coming." Tenten said while pointing Ran who was now storming her way towards them. Sakura raised an eyebrow as she jumped down.

"Bring on the lions." She said. Ino smirked.

"More like bring on the Christians. And for God's sake devil, show some mercy." Ino responded with an amused expression on her face.

"Mercy?" Sakura echoed. "What's that?"

Tenten came out with a giggle while Hinata gave some sort of nervous twitch.

"Sakura, should we stall her long enough so that you could fix yourself into your battle dress?" Tenten suggested with a hit of sarcasm in her voice making the bubble gum haired girl chuckle.

"I'm fine. You three should go. This won't be a pretty sight."

"And who said we're into pretty sights?" Ino asked.

"Your passion for Sasuke says so." Sakura responded amusingly. Tenten smiled gently as Ran came into a halt in front of her best friend, who was bravely facing her.

"You're Haruno Sakura, am I correct?" She asked, placing one hand in her waist.

"Yes I am. And may I ask what you want from me? If I did something to you unconsciously, I apologize for that." Sakura said, giving a small bow.

"You're pretty well mannered… for a low class girl that is."

"Why thank you. So what do you want from me?" Sakura asked, keeping herself cool, calm and collected. She wondered where Neji could be and what she also guessed that he already told Ran about them that's why she's so mad.

"You're Neji's current girl friend… right?"

"Yes I am."

"I want you to keep away from him from now on you got that?"

"Excuse me?"

Ran rolled her eyes then gave a sigh of frustration.

"You don't deserve Neji, Sakura. I'm going to be as nice as possible you got that? You two are from different worlds and you're VERY far apart from each other. And I warn you Sakura, I love Neji and I'll do anything, even kill just to get him and nobody could stop me."

"I know." Sakura replied, wearing a smug smile.

"…Casablanca…"

"What? How did you know my code name?" Ran asked, surprised to the bone. Sakura gave a small smile.

"I know you more than you think Casablanca." Sakura replied, while Ino and the other two looked at each other in utter confusion. Ran tried to calm herself down. Who is she?

"Casablanca from the Crimson Gang." Sakura finished. Ran gave a small gasp and wondered how the heck Sakura knew about her code name. And she's not even related to her. She's not an ordinary person, that is something sure.

"But still, I'm just a member of that gang so nothing much." Ran said, trying to cover up things. Sakura was now the one who placed one hand on her waist.

"Member? Casablanca means queen of the lilies. And your family is the head of the crimson group, as rumored. You're the heiress of the gang. No ordinary gang member would choose such a graceful name." Sakura said as Ran smiled.

"You're smart."

"Thank you. But I'm sorry but your threat doesn't move me at all. I don't intend on leaving Neji even if I die from it. I won't give up on him just because you threatened me with my own life. I know filing a case against you for doing that could be useless since you're very rich and powerful so I don't have any choice on the matter do I? But I'm sorry Ms. Suboshi. Good day to you." Sakura said while giving a small bow and left.

'_She speaks like a true blue blood but who is she really?'_

She watched Sakura give a high five on a blonde girl and a brunette girl as she stomped away, determined not to lose this fight.

"If this is a fight that you want, so be it." Sakura whispered as she watched Ran's retreating figure. Then, she gave a sigh of relief and slumped to her knees in front of Tenten.

"How did you know her codename?" Hinata asked. Sakura looked at her.

"My dad is a friend of one of their body guards and I mostly hear him talking about them so I knew instantly of who she was."

"She seems horrified about you knowing her codename though. And congrats on that Casablanca thing. That was brilliant." Tenten congratulated as Sakura gave her a small thanks.

"Hmm? Where's Neji anyway?" Hinata asked.

"Maybe talking with Naruto and his friends about what to do with Ran." Sakura responded.

"I think you just implemented a war with that Ran girl. Are you sure about this Sakura? You heard what she said earlier. She would kill just for Neji. And she's a member of a gang, so she's serious about what she said." Ino said worriedly. Sakura shook her head.

"I'm going to be fine. Trust me. I just wanna make sure that she won't hurt all of you or else I would kill her. I'm not afraid of her and remember that. I won't back out just because of her silly obsession for my boy friend." Sakura replied coolly.

"And I thought Sasuke and Neji would have the blood bath." Tenten muttered under her breath while shaking her head.

'_That's right Ran. I won't back out. Not now and not ever.'_

------

A.N.: I know I might have rushed things out but I'm sorry about that since I really want this chapter to get over with and start with the RanXSakura war. And that other war concerning Neji and Sasuke isn't over yet so it's still a long way to go.

Anyway, read and review!


	13. Chapter 13

A.N.: Waah, I really don't have any ideas on my head anymore…! Somebody help me…! You can send me your suggestions if you want to and I would be delighted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Sakura won't even both telling Neji about her current predicament with Ran since she knew that Neji would just burst in anger and talk to Ran. She didn't want to ruin Neji's image by making people see that he was hurting a girl. Yeah, Neji would get mad if he would know she's been keeping this but he'll understand.

She lay flat on her bed and took out an enormous sigh of exasperation. Half of her was yelling of her stupidity of taking Ran's challenge and half of her wants to kick Ran's ass so badly that she would even rip her into pieces. Either way, she felt frazzled.

-----

Ichizawa hotel… six blocks away from Sakura's house.

Ran drank some wine from a wine glass in her hand while staring at the view outside. On the couch sat two men, who looked indeed sinister judging from their clothing.

"The information is on the folder and make sure you two do it well or I'll strip you off the gang you got that?" She ordered and gave them a glare that brooked no denial. The two men nodded and stood up.

"You're dismissed." She said as they bowed and left the room.

Ran smirked.

'_First… know your enemy.'_

-----

Hyuuga Estate.

"Neji-san, what're you going to do with Ran?" Hinata asked with a hint of hesitation in her voice. She was on a dilemma whether talking to Neji about this was a great idea. She was well aware of Neji's slight hatred towards her and because of that, she felt unsure.

"I'm going to ignore her as much as possible and I won't let her lay one finger on her. I know Ran and she would do another possible just to get what she wants."

Hinata cringed at the thought of Neji knowing about Ran's threat to Sakura. Sakura made them promise not to tell Neji with a reason and she won't break that promise just because she's afraid of Sakura's well being. She won't risk their friendship for that.

"Hinata…" He said as Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at Neji realizing that that was the first time Neji called her by her name without any suffix of some sort. She knew he meant business.

"Did Ran do something to Sakura earlier? Threaten her or things like that?" He asked, looking at her pearl white eyes that were momentarily confused. Hinata was in between her cousin and her best friend. Even so, it would just end up with hatred. Should he tell Neji and make Sakura angry or not tell Neji and make him hate her?

'_Oh no… oh no… What to do… what to do…'_

RING! RING! RING!

Neji excused himself as he answered the phone as Hinata gave a small sigh of relief and mentally thanked the person for saving her from Neji's grasp.

"Naruto?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Naruto?

"What do you want blondie?" Neji snapped coldly and she could hear some yelling voices from the phone and Neji swore his ears are going to bleed. He distanced his ear from the receiver yet he could still hear his loud obnoxious so called best friend on the phone.

Soon, Neji hung up and shook his head.

'_Damn Naruto and his stupidity. He wants to copy my assignment again. Come to think of it, I don't make any assignments. I wonder how I still skip on a high grade.'_

Neji glanced at Hinata, who was twitching her fingers as usual. He gave a small sigh before telling her that he needs some time alone.

When he disappeared through the hallway, Hinata slumped down on the nearby couch giving out a big sigh of relief. Thank God Naruto called him or else she would have to choose among the two, which she didn't want to do.

She then glanced at the hallway where Neji disappeared to.

'_How will this end? I hope nothing bad would happen to the three of them.'_

-----

Even though she knew it would be highly dangerous, Sakura walked down the street alone and wandering. She wanted some time alone and the lonely house was just making her feel worse. She wanted to be with Neji at the moment, but maybe he's as troubled as she is, maybe even more troubled than her.

She reached the park and proceeded on sitting at one swing and with one soft push of her feet, she began swinging slightly, letting her shoes being dragged down on the sand. She grasped the chains tightly while staring blankly down at the ground as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Dammit. What am I doing here? I should not be troubled. I'm strong for crying out loud and I won't let Ran harm me or Neji." She said and finally she realized that being optimistic could help. She glanced at her watch and noticed that it was still seven in the evening.

"Right. Better buy some foods." She said happily as she stood up and left the park gracefully, leaving all of her worries behind.

Without herself knowing, two men in cloaks followed her.

----

The next day…

"Neji-kun, you okay? You look tired." Sakura inquired before giving him a peck on the cheeks, earning her a glare from the navy haired girl on the far corner.

"I'm okay." He said calmly before proceeding to his chair beside the Uchiha, who had his eyes closed probably deep in thought again. Naruto was now yelling at Shikamaru about something and she noticed something on Shikamaru's ears that made Sakura smile.

Ear plugs.

"Good morning Ino, Tenten and Hinata." She greeted as the other three greeted her back. She placed her bag at her chair as usual but stopped midway when she noticed that there was glue placed on it. She gave out a small smirk as she whispered something to Ino.

Later…

Ran returned to her classroom after that odd calling from one of their teachers. One of their classmates told her that Iruka-sensei wanted to talk to her but when she reached there, Iruka was confused and told her that he didn't call for her.

With a scowl, she slumped down her chair which made Sakura and Ino snicker while Tenten hid her face behind her notebook, her shoulders shaking while Hinata gave out a worried expression.

'_Neji was the only one who pulls pranks on me but he stopped already so I know it's Ran who's doing this.'_

Ran gave a sly smile when she noticed that Sakura was now sitting on her chair while snickering with her dumb best friends. But what made her confused is that when Sakura gave an innocent smile on her.

60 seconds later…

"WHAT THE HECK! I'M STUCK!" Ran yelled as she tired to pull the chair away from her butt and even Fujima helped her but he was smiling a bit, probably abstaining himself from laughing. Sakura was now snickering even louder as Ino tired to stop laughing.

The others just glared at her and Neji shot a glance at Sakura which made him smirk in satisfaction.

'_Pulling pranks.'_

"Aww… what's wrong Ran?" Ino asked innocently as Ran shot her a death glare while being teary eyed. This was just too embarrassing. She shot a glance at Neji.

"Neji-kun! Help me!" She wailed. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you head to the bathroom and take off your skirt?" Tenten suggested.

"WHAT! WITH A CHAIR HANGING IN MY ASS! NO WAY!" Ran yelled and Sakura swore she yells louder than Naruto, who was now laughing his ass off and Shikamaru was even smiling with amusement. Sasuke looked bored while Neji gave Sakura a small proud smile and she returned it with a flirtatious wink.

"You don't have any choice." Tenten added.

Later that night… Back at the Ichizawa hotel.

"Good, good." Ran had that face of satisfaction while looking down a file folder. The two mercenaries smiled.

"That's the best information we could ever have."

"So she's alone in that small house? This would be pretty easy." She said and dismissed the two. Then, she took a sip of wine and gave out a sly smile.

"Hmmm… her parents died months ago. She's smart. Yes, so I have noticed. She has pink hair… weirdo. Green eyes. I hate those eyes…"

And she continued on and on.

-----

A week later, Sakura and Neji had been having lesser time together since Sakura spent more time with her friends and Neji was busy trying to get off Ran. It was already afternoon and Sakura started to do some cooking at her kitchen. Until she was interrupted when the door bell rang.

"Neji?" Sakura said as she stared at her boy friend which was now on the front porch, with his hands on his pockets.

"Hello."

"Um… come inside." She went in followed by Neji in her heels as she proceeded to go to the kitchen to finish on what she was doing.

"I didn't know you were going to come and I was a bit surprised. Are you going to have dinner here so that I can prepare—"She was cut off when Neji made her turn around and started kissing her hungrily.

"Neji…" She gasped as they separated. Neji smiled.

"I missed you." He whispered in her ear making Sakura smile as well.

"I missed you too. But you know… I have been busy with Ino and the girls since they wanted me to spend more time with them. So… how's Ran? Still going on with the grudge? And does your mom know already?"

"My mom knows about you and she's fine, much to my relief. And Ran, yeah, still trying to get me. My father doesn't know yet but I know it won't be pretty."

"Hmmm… Ran. She's too obsessed with you."

A moment of silence… Neji rested his head on Sakura's left shoulder.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"Do me a favor."

"Sure."

"Let's not talk about them this time. Ok? The important thing is, I'm with you again." He said and started to give kisses on her neck as Sakura smiled.

"Okay…"

-----

9:00 PM

Neji woke up as he looked at Sakura's sleeping figure beside him, wrapped in her white sheets. He smiled and realized how angelic she looked. He won't trade her for anyone else, not matter how beautiful they are. For him, Sakura is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Ichizawa Hotel…

"WHAT!"

"Yes Miss Casablanca. Our target is now at the girl's house."

Ran's eyebrows met.

'_Dammit. I won't lose to her.'_

"Dismissed."

Back at the Haruno household…

Sakura opened her eyes and were met by Neji's white ones and she realized her was already grinning.

"What are you grinning at?"

"At you of course. Why? Do you want me to scowl instead?" He asked while giving her a peck on the lips making Sakura chuckle.

"Nope. I like your grin just fine. Now, I need to go to the kitchen and fix things up since I haven't cooked." Sakura gave a glare at Neji as she pulled the blanket. Neji was about to grab her wrist when she gave him a glare.

"And don't try and stop me Mr. Seductive. I need to do this." Sakura said and hurriedly reached out for the bathrobe and put it on as she threw the blanket at Neji. She then hurried down the stairs. Neji smirked as he tired to find his own bathrobe in Sakura's dresser and put it on as well.

At the kitchen…

When Neji came down, he saw Sakura walking balk and forth inside. He gave out a smile as he whipped out a glass and went to the water dispenser and drank some water.

"I'm hungry." He heard Sakura mumble as she tired to find something on the fridge. She then gave a small chuckle when she found a slice of left over cake inside and hurriedly took some fork.

"Hey, I wanna eat that too."

Sakura stuck her tongue out as she hurriedly ate the cake with a fast speed. Neji readied one glass of water.

5 seconds later, she choked on her food.

"Water?" Neji offered teasingly as Sakura grabbed the glass of water and hurriedly drank it and since Sakura's busy with the water, he yanked the plate away from her and started to eat the remaining cake.

"HEY!"

Neji had the last chunk of cake remaining in the fork and waved it around teasingly at Sakura's face. Sakura glared at him and with great reflex, much to Neji's ultimate surprise, Sakura already swallowed it!

"Wow! How did you do that!"

"Um… skill?" Sakura replied cutely. Neji smirked.

"You're full of surprises. You know that?"

"I know." Sakura replied as she left the kitchen but then stopped and looked back at Neji.

"Are you going to stay here for the night?" She asked as Neji smiled and proceeded to hug her from the back.

"Depends on you. Am I going to be a burden?" He whispered on her ear as Sakura managed a wholehearted laugh.

"Since when did you become a burden huh Neji?"

"Just now. With that Ran. Did Ran do something to you hmmm?" Neji asked as Sakura held his hands that were clasped together in her stomach.

"Nope. She didn't." She lied. Being with Neji makes you know how to get away from his keen eyes. Sakura just stared at the stairway before her.

"You sure? You better tell me if she did okay?"

"Okay." Sakura replied, smiling sadly.

A moment of silence…

"So when are you going to tell your father about us?" Sakura asked as Neji rested his head on her shoulder.

"Hmm… dunno. Ran would probably tell him herself."

"Neji?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do you have to be so darn handsome?"

Neji looked at her.

"And why do you have to be so damn irresistible?" He responded back.

-----

A.N.: Okay sorry about this guys but I don't have anything to think. I'm going to try to have better ideas next time ok?

Read and review!


	14. Chapter 14

A.N.: Okay, so my mind is still blank… I'm thinking of what will Ran do to Sakura… you know and how I could settle that thing with Neji's dad… the story still needs to go a LONG way… and I don't get many reviews, which made me disappointed somehow. But that's okay. I write for leisure…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Sakura and Neji went to their school together and they were greeted by Sakura's friends. Instead of going to the classroom, they went to the lockers since their first subject today is Gym. Neji went to the boy's locker room of course.

"So… what do you think are we going to do today?" Sakura asked while putting on her t-shirt.

"Dunno." Ino replied smugly as she sat on the bench to put on her gym shoes. Tenten was fixing her hair in the mirror while Hinata was sitting beside Ino, finishing her shoes too.

Later…

"Okay class! We're going to have some small sparring match!" Asuma yelled at the top of his lungs as his voice echoed throughout the gymnasium. There was a large mat on the middle.

"What kind of match sensei?" One of their classmates asked.

"Well, our principal wanted to see if you guys know how to use self defense or something like that since it's really important nowadays. Especially you girls." Asuma glanced at the girls who were seated at the opposite side.

"So I'm going to teach you some self defense and later on, you should find a pair to you know… spar upon but don't worry, we have armors here so that you won't get hurt! And please don't kill each other okay? Especially you Uzumaki!"

"Yes sensei." Naruto rolled his eyes.

Sakura and Ran looked at each other and gave each other a sly smile.

'_Bring it on. I'm SO going to kick your ass.' _Sakura and Ran thought at the same time. Neji and Sasuke were now glaring at each other and agreed that they would be a pair. Neji saw Sakura glaring at Ran, who was now giving her a devious smile.

'_So we're not the only ones…'_

30 minutes later…

"Okay, now all of you get a piece of paper and put you and your pair's names in this box so that we could have random pairs. I'm going to call the pairs okay? Now I'm giving you five minutes to do that." Asuma said and the teenagers started to scramble to find a piece of paper and a pen.

5 minutes later…

"The first pairs are… Uzumaki and Nara!"

"Troublesome."

"YOSH!" Naruto jumped up happily from his seat while Shikamaru lazily stood up. Everyone started cheering. They put on their armors and Neji thought this fight is going to be amusing. Everyone silenced as they stood into their fighting stances.

"GO SHIKAMARU!" Ino yelled, waving her hand which made Shikamaru go all red.

"You ready lazy ass?"

"Bring it on dobe." He called back.

"Okay… no serious stuff here okay? Now… ready… START!"

Naruto charged at Shikamaru while Shikamaru just gave out a small yawn. When Naruto delivered a punch at him, Shikamaru dodged it easily, grabbed his arm and pushed him on his back. Naruto stumbled on the mat as everyone stared with shock.

"Wow."

"That was amazing."

"There are a lot of things we don't know about Shikamaru." Sasuke mumbled as Neji nodded in agreement. They too, are in shock. Ino gaped.

"Well what do you know, sluggard has a talent!" Ino said happily. Sakura smiled.

"That's not his only talent. He's lazy but smart." Tenten remarked as Sakura nodded in agreement. Shikamaru had the highest IQ among the school and was considered as the school's lazy super genius. Even Sakura can't beat him.

"Naruto, you shouldn't charge at me like that." Shikamaru remarked, turning into his fighting stance again. Naruto groaned in annoyance as he stood up and charged at Shikamaru again. Shikamaru ducked down and turned his feet, hitting Naruto's own feet as Naruto fell on the ground.

"He's… amazing." Ino gasped.

"Ooh, someone's having some new feelings." Sakura teased at Ino, who was now staring in admiration at Shikamaru, who looked cool and as usual, lazy. Hinata just giggled at Naruto's actions.

"I can't believe Naruto's the one who's daily abusing Shikamaru." Tenten sighed as Naruto charged at him again. Neji shook his head at his stupidity while Sasuke just smirked. Before, everyone was cheering for Naruto. Now, they were cheering for Shikamaru.

"SHIKAMARU! YOU'RE THE COOLEST!"

"Oh! I'm having a crush on him!"

"Uh-oh. New fan club coming through." Sakura said sarcastically as Ino stood up.

"SHIKAMARU! DON'T LET THAT DOBE BEAT YOU! YOU'RE AMAZING!" Ino yelled as Shikamaru almost slipped when he heard that. He was now awfully red and good thing the head armor was there or else it would be REALLY obvious.

"I'm the president of the Nara Shikamaru fan club!" Tenten heard one girl whisper at her comrades. Tenten chuckled.

"Shikamaru's great, isn't he?"

"YOU BET HE IS!" Ino yelled back.

Later… Shikamaru and Naruto's fight ended and Naruto was now whining in anger and in annoyance. Shikamaru sighed as he took off the armor and headed to his seat.

"Shikamaru-kun! Go out with me!" One girl squealed. Shikamaru stared at her.

"What?"

"No! He'll go out with me!" Another one yelled. Sakura burst out laughing at this. Tenten just snickered as Ino rolled her eyes.

"That was great Shika. And congrats for the new fan club." Neji tapped his shoulder as Shikamaru just smirked and scratched his head and sat beside Neji. Naruto slumped on his chair and gave out a soft 'Hmph!'.

"'tis so unfair. He gets a fan club while I get what? Embarrassment." Naruto cursed as Hinata tugged his sleeve making him look at her.

"But I think you were great back there Naruto." Hinata blushed. Naruto gave her a grin.

"Thanks Hinata-chan! You made me feel better."

Sakura and the other two looked at each other.

"Was I being deaf earlier?"

"No we heard it right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We heard him alright. Loud and clear."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. I'm one hundred percent sure."

Sakura and Tenten yanked Hinata as Hinata yelped.

"Hinata! Did you realize what he just called YOU!" Ino, Sakura and Tenten hissed at the same time as Hinata sweat dropped anime style at her friend's actions.

"Huh?"

"He called you Hinata-chan!" Sakura whispered. Hinata started to go red. If possible, she was redder than Shikamaru earlier.

"He did?"

"YES HE DID!" The three chorused.

"Suboshi and Haruno!" Asuma called out. The others looked at the two, as the two glared at each other and Sakura stood up confidently. Ran hurried to put on her armor. When Sakura was passing by Neji, Neji held her hand.

"Be careful." He said gently.

"Don't worry. I will be." Sakura smiled to re assure her worried boy friend. Sasuke gave her a worried glance while Sakura just gave him a small smile and a nod. Sakura then gave Ran a slight smile before putting on her armor.

"Okay, 1…2…3…" Ino counted.

"GO GET HER SAKURA!" Tenten and Ino yelled at the same time as Sakura sweat dropped. Hinata gave her an encouraging smile.

"I won't go easy on you, you got that cherry blossom?" Ran hissed at her.

"Whatever you say Casablanca." Sakura replied calmly as she stopped while Ran continued on walking. When Ran stopped, she turned around and immediately turned into a fighting stance.

"Give me all that you've got cherry blossom." Ran challenged. Sakura just stood there.

"Same with you." Sakura smiled.

"START!" Asuma yelled as Ran sped up at her with an amazing speed as Sakura stood calmly there and Neji was now clasping his hands together in nervousness.

"SAKURA! MOVE!" Ino yelled.

"HIYAAAA!" Ran was about to deliver a round house kick to her when Sakura disappeared and reappeared behind her.

"Whoa! That was fast!" Tenten gasped. Then, they saw Sakura push her, like what Shikamaru did to Naruto except for that grabbing arm style. But then, Ran balanced herself on the ground with one hand and was about to kick her upward when Sakura ducked it with ease.

"What the?" Ran gasped as she stood up and jumped off. Sakura jumped off as well and all of their classmates gaped at them.

"Sakura…?" Neji was in shock. More than Shikamaru and Naruto's fight earlier. Sakura beckoned her to come closer.

"Come here and attack me."

"Yes ma'am." Ran said sarcastically as she sped up to her and copied Naruto's style on punching her squarely on the face but Sakura grabbed her collar and her arm and threw her overhead, dropping her hard on the floor (A.N.: You know, like what they do in Judo?).

"Oww…" Ran moaned in pain. Sakura straightened her own collar as she smirked.

"Give up?" Sakura mocked.

"No." Ran said as she gave out some back flips and landed a good ten feet away from her. Sakura just stared at her.

"Whoa, they're both good at martial arts!" Naruto had his mouth open.

"Sakura… she can… do that?" Tenten gasped.

"No way… 'tis not real!"

"It's real sister. Believe me. But we didn't know she had such talent." Ino said as Hinata nodded in agreement. Hinata glanced at Neji, who was purely in shock. And so was Sasuke.

'_Who is Sakura really?'_

"Who ARE you?" Ran asked, turning to her fighting stance. Sakura smirked.

"The girl you challenged to a fight for Neji till death. Why? You surprised that I outmatched you?" Sakura asked with venom in her voice. Ran's eyebrows met in frustration.

'_Who is she?'_

Even Asuma was staring in shock.

'_And come to think of it, Neji was the one who saved her when I barged into her house. Why didn't she do that to me instead?' _Sasuke thought.

"I'm going to be the one to attack you now, if you don't mind." Sakura said and before Ran could say anything, she charged on her, even faster than Ran herself. Ran readied herself for the impact. When she was a few inches away from her, Sakura disappeared and reappeared in her back.

"What the?" Ran gasped and before she could watch what she was doing, she flew to the opposite wall, creating a large crater.

"WHOA!" Naruto gasped loudly.

"Miss Suboshi! You okay!" Asuma ran to her aid and so did the others. Sakura took off her head armor making her hair fall down her face.

"Tch. She's okay. I didn't injure her that much." Sakura said and returned the armor and proceeded to her seat. Neji grabbed her arm.

"How did you do that? Why didn't you tell me you can do that?"

"Neji, it was instinct. My grand pa was a martial artist so I learned some things from him." Sakura winked as she went to her seat. They all went to a group hug.

'_Some… things? You call that SOME things!'_

"YOU WERE AWESOME!" Ino yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Sakura, how did you create such impact?" Hinata asked as Ran stood up and wiped the blood away from her mouth.

"Skill." Sakura said, smiling innocently at Ran, who was glaring at her dangerously.

"She asked for it, she got it." Sakura said and then proceeded to cross her arms and legs. Ran threw the armor off and stormed out of the gymnasium. Sakura gave out a devious smile. Neji noticed this and was confused if he already knew everything about Sakura.

"Sakura… I think there are a lot of things we don't know yet." Shikamaru remarked.

"Yeah. Like you." Naruto said. And Asuma told Sakura about the damage she has done on the gymnasium and Sakura told him that she's going to pay for that later. Neji eyed her.

"I'm going to pay for the damage Sir Sarutobi." Neji said as Sakura shook her head at him.

"I have enough money left and remember, I have a job so it's okay."

"Job? I don't even know what your job is!" Neji responded back at her. Sakura smiled.

"Believe me. It's a job I enjoy a lot. And besides, I earn a lot of money from it, enough to sustain me in my needs and more. So it's okay. You don't need to pay anything I need to pay." Sakura said and nodded at Asuma, who gave out a sigh.

"When can you give your money Haruno?"

"Tomorrow is okay. Just tell me how much it is. The crater isn't that big." Sakura said, pointing the enormous crater that she just did.

"Sakura, why didn't you try to do that to me when I barged in your house?" Sasuke asked as Sakura turned to him.

"I didn't want to ruin my house. That's it."

"You could've stopped us from punching each other." Neji remarked. Sakura apologized and gave out a nervous laugh.

"Ahehe. Sorry… I didn't know what to do at that time."

That night…

"She did? She's amazing." Setsuko said as she drank a sip of wine when Neji told her about what happened at gym class earlier.

"You have no idea mom. And Ran stormed out of the gym, furious about what just happened. And Sakura, she didn't even break a sweat." Neji explained, proud of his girl friend's achievement. Setsuko gave him a gentle smile.

"Neji, I think Sakura's amazing but I think we don't know much about her yet." Setsuko said. Neji shook his head.

"It's okay mom. Don't worry."

------

Ichizawa Hotel…

"DAMN IT!" She yelled as she threw the glass at the wall, shattering it to pieces. She was really furious and upset on what just happened and she won't let Sakura get away with it. What's more, she knew that Setsuko approved on Sakura and Neji was now prouder of Sakura.

"WHO IS THAT GIRL?" She yelled.

She grabbed her phone.

"Casablanca here. I have an assignment for you. Be here in ten minutes." She ordered and hung up. She threw her cell phone at the bed and sighed.

"Calm down Ran… its fine. You're rich and you can do anything. Sakura's not a threat. No." Ran tried to stay optimistic but remembering of what happened earlier made her want to rip her hair off. Ten minutes later… two new men came in wearing black cloaks.

"That girl. Are you sure this is all that's here?" Ran asked, patting the back of her hand at the file folder.

"Yes miss Casablanca. That's all we've got."

"Yet you didn't mention that she's an expert in martial arts. She kicked my ass earlier and she has monstrous strength did you know that? And this is all the information?" Ran asked, her voice clearly annoyed. The two men didn't reply.

"I want you to have some further investigation on this Haruno Sakura. And all of it. You got that? Follow her wherever she goes and keep an eye on her."

"Yes Miss Casablanca."

"And I'm going to let her suffer for a while. Settle some papers…"

"Why is that?"

"I'm simply just going to buy her house and serve her with her expulsion papers."

-----

A.N.: Okay my back hurts. Dunno why. Please people, I need reviews! I saw a story and it got 200 and more reviews on the first thirteen chapters! Boy, was I green with envy. Please guys… if I don't get enough reviews, I think I won't continue this story… sniff. And my last story was 40 chapters and how much did I get? 107! Waaahhh!

E.I.


	15. Chapter 15

A.N.: OMG! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THOSE REALLY AND AWESOME REVIEWS! Sniff sniff… sorry if I have some grammar mistakes… I'm really trying hard to improve it. Thank you so much all of you who have reviewed to my story… It made me feel A LOT better and encouraged me to write even more! I'm SO happy today! THANK YOU!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-----

"What is this rubbish!" Sakura slammed the folder at her coffee table after reading the contents of the folder served to her by one lawyer.

'_That bitch! She's really driving me up the wall!'_

"I won't sell this house. This house had been with our family for decades now and I can't afford to lose it." Sakura said roughly. The lawyer gave a frustrated sigh.

"If you're going to refuse you'll have to take this to the court…" The lawyer started blabbering again as Sakura rolled her eyes and proceeded to the window to watch some scenery. She crossed her arms while ignoring the lawyer's babbles.

Later…

"I'll see you again tomorrow Miss Haruno and I hope you've already decided by that time." The lawyer said before turning to his car and sped off. Sakura decided not to tell Neji yet since she doesn't want to be a burden to him.

With an angry look, she grabbed her cloak by the cloak hanger nearby and the folder and left off to the Ichizawa hotel to settle something with that bitch.

30 minutes later…

"What is this all about?" Sakura yelled as she threw the folder at Ran's presidential desk. Ran swiveled her chair to look at her with that usual sly smile plastered on her face.

"I was serious on my warning Sakura. And that's the punishment for being such a mule." She replied calmly. Sakura's eyebrows met.

"I won't sell my house. Not now and not ever. Especially to you!"

"Oh really? Well, I'll see you at court then."

"I'll pay you if that's what you want. You may not know but I have some useful connections with some important people that may put you to embarrassment… again."

Ran raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And who are they? Some low class people as well?"

"Oh you're wrong Ran. I'm going to have a lawyer to settle this thing and I assure you that I would win in this case. You're going to be sorry about this." Sakura spat and turned on her heel to storm out of the door. Ran smirked.

"1 million."

Sakura turned her head.

"Excuse me?"

Ran stood up as she leaned her hands on the table.

"I'm giving you 1 million to walk out of Neji's life and with that one million; I would return your house as well."

"You can't use the word 'return' Ran since I own it."

"Okay, 1 million and your house. I would not bother you anymore. Is that okay for you? Surely you would agree." Ran smiled. Sakura felt really offended on what she's talking about right now and REALLY tried hard not to strangle her.

"You can't win just by waving some big money on my face. I'm not that kind of person."

"Okay then, 10 million."

Sakura turned her head and saw a sword displayed on the wall as she grabbed it and with one blink of an eye, the tip of the sword was now dangerously close to the calm Ran's neck. Though Ran is utterly surprised of her actions, she didn't even dare show it.

"I told you Suboshi. I'm not that kind of a person. Even though you offer one billion or ten or a hundred billion in my face and still I won't budge. Even though you give me the whole world just for your stupid undying devotion for Hyuuga Neji it won't still work." Sakura growled.

"You are fully aware that I'm the heiress of a yakuza gang."

"Let me tell you this Ran, I don't care even if you're the richest woman in the world or even the most powerful of some sort. You won't scare me just because you have that gang of yours hanging in your ass. I will kill you with no hesitation if it's necessary."

"Ooh, I'm scared." Ran said sarcastically.

Sakura slammed the sword on the table and stormed away.

"Dammit. That was close." Ran held her neck protectively as she slumped down on the chair while giving a sigh of relief.

'_That woman is more dangerous than I thought.'_

----

Sakura sat on one bench on the park alone as she stared at the reddish orange sky (since the sun is setting) and felt that people were actually watching her from afar. Sakura smiled as she slowly grabbed a needle from her purse and threw it close to one of the men's face, thus, leaving a scratch while hitting a tree.

"Tell your Miss Casablanca that to be careful or else she would be dead." Sakura said to them, while her eyes were still fixed on the sky.

"Go now if you cherish your life." Sakura said, this time, turning to face them as the two men in cloaks disappeared. Sakura smirked.

"Tch."

-----

Classes…

"Hey Shikamaru." Ino greeted as Shikamaru snapped out of his trance and instantly turned red when he saw Ino. Sakura noticed this and began smiling.

"Look at what love can do. Hey Shika, where did you get all those moves from?" Sakura asked, sitting beside Sasuke since Neji's leaning on one wall (Sakura took his seat) while she faced Shikamaru, who was now as red as a tomato.

"He told us he secretly trains martial arts under his father. Didn't know Shikamaru was secretive." Neji answered the question for her as Sakura nodded.

"That was awesome you know that?"

(A.N.: In case you're wondering of who won in Neji and Sasuke's fight, it turned out to be a draw. Both fell down at the same time.)

Neji asked Sakura if he could talk to her in private as Sasuke glared at them as they exited the classroom. Then, he sighed in annoyance when he saw Ran giving Sakura a death glare, in which Sakura returned it with an innocent look.

'_Something's going on with the two. They're just hiding it.'_

"Sakura… are you sure you're not hiding anything from me? That martial arts stuff shocked me to death." Neji remarked as Sakura giggled.

"Sorry for that."

"So could you answer this question truthfully…? What is your job anyway?" Neji asked as Sakura tapped a finger at her chin while giving him a playful look.

"Um… I work for my auntie's office as a… some sort of errand lady or something like that." Sakura explained. Neji smirked.

"You? The girl friend of Hyuuga Neji? An errand lady?" He mocked and Sakura only returned it with a pout.

"Why? Are you going to leave me just because I'm an errand lady and you're a millionaire? That we're just living on two different worlds?"

"I didn't say anything. Even though you're going to be a prostitute, I would still love you." Neji smiled. Sakura chuckled.

"Hey you two. Stop cuddling there and get inside 'coz the class is about to start." Kurenai's sudden voice made the two jump in surprise and turn red in embarrassment. However, Neji tried to look cool while Sakura apologized and they entered the classroom.

-----

"She warned you?" Ran's strict voice echoed around her room as the two men nodded. Ran sat down at the exquisite couch in front of them while taking the folder from the table and started reading it. After ten minutes, a satisfied look was on her face.

"Good job. Are you really sure this is all the information about her?" Ran asked, motioning the servant to come to her.

"Yes."

The servant obliged to her orders as she gave Ran a money envelope. Ran gave it to the two men.

"Okay. You're dismissed."

"Thank you Miss Casablanca." The two men chorused and bowed before exiting the room.

----

"Miss Haruno, are you sure you're not going to sell this? We are already offering you a large amount of money and we'll pay it in cash. You can build another house." The same lawyer explained as Sakura slammed her hand on the table.

"I already told you I won't sell this house!" The lawyer was stupefied since Sakura's face was really scary and she was really mad.

"Then we'll just have to take it on the court."

"Yes we will. When is it? Knowing her, she would've arranged it already." Sakura asked, sitting back at the couch while crossing her arms and legs.

"It's on Tuesday. Miss Haruno, are you really sure about this? You could lose a lot of money by this case and you could even lose this property. Miss Ran is a powerful woman and…"

"Don't you see that I am already aware of that?" Sakura snapped.

"And still you won't give up?"

"What do you think? I already challenged her and she has gone way too far. I have a good lawyer by my side and I trust him. I am not afraid of her and inculcate that in your mind. You may leave." Sakura said as the man nodded and went out.

Sakura groaned as she rubbed her hand on her temples, trying to calm herself down.

'_Sakura, calm down… and make sure you won't create such a big fuss that Neji would notice. And try not to kill Ran.'_

When she had relaxed herself, she took a big sigh before proceeding to her bedroom to make an important call.

"You're really plucking my last nerve Suboshi."

----

Monday night…

"Hey Neji-kun!" Sakura gave her handsome boy friend a peck on the cheeks as they headed towards his car to start their date. It was quiet inside the car but the silence was cut short when Sakura started humming.

"You look happy."

"Why? Do you want me to scowl and brood instead?"

Neji smiled.

"Nope. Just wondering why."

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah."

"Well… I'm happy because I'm with my handsome boy friend that I love so much and I'm going to spend the whole night with him. That's the reason why I'm so happy." Sakura said sprightly as Neji smiled wider.

There was a moment of silence…

"Where are we going anyway Neji-kun?" Sakura asked, looking at him as Neji turned to a corner and went uphill.

"To a place where all of this started." Neji smiled at her. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Eh?"

"You'll see."

Ten minutes later…

"Omigosh! The amusement park!" Sakura gasped happily as she held Neji's hand tighter. They instantly headed to the ferries wheel. When they ride started, Sakura looked up at Neji.

"This is the same car that we took when you confessed to me. Aww… you're so sweet." Sakura said softly before proceeding to kiss her boy friend. It was obvious that the two were happy together and all of their troubles were set aside.

When they stopped, Sakura felt how lucky she was to have Neji. But what if Sasuke was here instead of Neji? Will all of this be the same? She knew how much Sasuke loved her and she knew that she had hurt Sasuke even though he never shows it.

Sakura shook her head.

'_You shouldn't think of things like that. You're with Neji and that's it.'_

"You okay?" Neji asked her, concerned. Sakura smiled at him and nodded.

"I'm okay. Just thinking some things. Hey, how's your dad? Did you already tell him about us? Hmm?" Sakura asked, feeling nervous. Neji's face dropped.

"Um… about that."

"Why? Is something the matter?"

"I already told him Sakura." Neji said, his voice serious yet worried. Sakura straightened herself up as she stared at his white orbs.

"Well?"

"He grew furious."

Sakura felt her heart pounding harder. Did he hurt Neji? Did he hurt his mother? Sakura felt her conscience wavering inside of her. She doesn't want someone to get hurt just because of her and especially Neji's mother.

"Oh my god Neji, what did he do?" Sakura asked, frustrated. Neji looked down.

"He… He…" Neji can't even say it!

"He what! Tell me!" Sakura was now frazzled. What did he do that made Neji this serious?

"He arranged… I mean… he arranged a marriage…"

"Oh my God… don't tell me…"

"Yes… he wants Ran and I to get married…"

"…"

"As soon as possible."

------

A.N.: Hehehe (wearing an evil smile) I love stories like these. And I really want to thank all of you for reviewing. Wow, I should complain more often hehehe… joke3x! I hope you guys would review since this story is getting more and more serious… I think. Hehehe.

Read and review!


	16. Chapter 16

A.N.: Wow… things are getting more and more complicated for Sakura. I wonder how she would solve all of these problems. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Sakura slumped at her chair, wearing a helpless and shocked face. Neji turned to her.

"Sakura, you okay!"

Sakura just rubbed her temples again, a thing she has been doing frequently these past few days. She gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine. I'm just too shocked…that's all." Sakura said weakly. One time they're going all romantic and having a great time and the next thing she knew, Neji's having a forced engagement to the woman Sakura loathed.

"I'm really sorry about this Sakura. This is the main reason why I asked you out on this date. I didn't mean to ruin it." Neji said, worried. Sakura shook her head.

"It's okay…but Neji, when is the wedding?" Sakura asked, her forehead creased with worry. With that question, Neji looked down. Sakura knew how hard this is for Neji and for her as well. She cupped his chin and made him look at her.

"Tell me."

"In two weeks." He replied wryly, clenching his fists. Sakura leaned on one side and her face looked indeed helpless.

'_I need to stop this… I can't let his dad take Neji from me. I would be crushed.'_

When the ride stopped, they clambered out of the car as they sat on one bench, both looked down at the ground, deep in thought. Then, Neji turned to face her.

"Sakura, we can… run away!"

Sakura stared at him as though he was an alien from another universe.

"You're kidding right? Neji, I won't let you become the disgrace of your clan." Sakura remarked, looking dead serious. Neji just stared at her. Sakura sighed.

"Neji… I'm sorry for being such a burden to you. This is all happening because of me. And could you please send an apology to your mother from me? And…" Sakura stopped when Neji pressed a finger on her lips.

"Sssh… Sakura… You've never been a burden to me. Ran and my dad are the burden. My mom is now trying to find a way to convince my dad to accept you in the family and she also said that she's glad to help." Neji said softly.

"But…"

"Sorry for that wacky idea earlier. I was so messed up that I didn't even have time to think. But how can we stop this engagement? I know mom won't be enough."

"Does Ran know about this engagement?"

"Yes she does. And let me tell you this, she had that sly smile on her face, probably thinking that she'd already won your fight." Neji remarked.

"She isn't the winner yet. Our fight is about who's going to have you. She may have your father's approval but she doesn't have your heart. I know what I'm going to do Neji and I want you to just relax and I'll do the rest." Sakura said, standing up. Neji looked at her.

"Whoa, wait. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. But I want you to relax… I don't want to be a burden you know that Neji. And with you feeling troubled because of me, it would only make me feel worse." Sakura responded as Neji stood up as well.

"Sakura…"

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a way. Promise." Sakura re assured him and sealed the deal with a peck on the lips. Neji could only give her a sad smile.

-----

"HA! I WIN HARUNO! YOU KNOW I GOT NEJI!" Ran gloated as they headed towards the venue of the hearing. Sakura only ignored her and continued to walk.

"Hey! I'm not finished with my gloating yet!" Ran called out as Sakura rolled her eyes and wondered where the heck her lawyer is.

"Miss Haruno! Miss Haruno!"

Sakura and Ran turned their heads and saw a man in brown business suit walking in a fast manner towards her. Ran stared at the man then looked at Sakura, who was equally shocked.

'_This is not the lawyer I called!'_

"Haruno, where did you get your money to hire such an expensive lawyer?" Ran asked, crossing her arms. Sakura just stared at the man. He was in his 40's and he is one of the greatest lawyers in their country and she was a hundred percent sure that this isn't the lawyer that she called.

Sakura stared at him. When the man reached her, Sakura grabbed his arm and dragged him on one corner.

"What is the meaning of this!"

"Miss Haruno, I'm so sorry but your grandfather was the one who sent me here." The lawyer replied. Sakura looked at Ran, who was now scowling due to the fact that Sakura has now the upper hand. Sakura could only scowl back.

"How the fuck did he know about this?" Sakura asked, his voice stern.

"I'm sorry but I am prohibited to tell you Miss Haruno. Your grand father's orders." The lawyer replied. Sakura stared at him for a while then sighed.

"Well then, there's nothing I can do. Make sure I get my house back or else I would strip you off your job. You got that?" Sakura said dangerously as the lawyer gave a nervous nod and they proceeded to the hearing venue.

2 hours later…

'_HELL YEAH! I WON! ONE PROBLEM DOWN! BWAHAHAHA! THE LOOK ON RAN'S FACE IS PRICELESS!'_

Sakura won the case and Ran stormed away, extremely angry and embarrassed. Sakura shook hands with the lawyer before heading off to her house with a triumphant smile plastered on her face.

-----

"You were absent yesterday. What's up?" Ino asked as Sakura looked at her.

"And Ran was absent too." Tenten added. Sakura just gave a nervous laugh. She decided she won't tell the girls about this since they would just talk to Naruto and the others about this and Neji would know. She looked at their direction and saw Sasuke staring at her as though he was trying to say something.

'_I can't possibly share this to Sasuke. How would he react about Neji's dad?'_

Sasuke stared back.

'_I knew it. She's hiding something from us concerning Ran. She and Ran were absent yesterday and I don't believe that it was just a coincidence.'_

Neji entered the classroom, looking extremely mad. He headed to Sakura's seat and asked her if they could talk for a moment. Sakura nodded and they went out of the classroom, and Sasuke followed soon after.

"Why are you so mad Neji? Did something happen to you and your dad?" Sakura asked. Neji just stared at her with a pained expression. He had to do this.

"Sakura, I'm breaking up with you."

Sakura stared at him.

"Haha. Very funny Neji." She said sarcastically. Neji looked at her.

"I'm not joking. I'm breaking up with you."

"But Neji… Why?" Sakura was shocked on what was happening right now. It was just too sudden. Neji looked away, trying hard not to look at her straight in the eyes.

"I… I… don't… love you anymore. What's more, I must confess that I was just playing with you, like all of my past girl friends. I'm growing tired of you. Sorry."

"What?"

"I SAID I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!" Neji yelled before running off and leaving the shocked and broken Sakura.

Sakura leaned on the wall and slid down making her sit on the floor. Sakura just stared at the empty space, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why Neji?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

The next day…

Sakura and Neji just passed by each other as though they were complete strangers. Ran was now the one hugging Neji's arm and she gave Sakura a mocking smile. Sakura, as usual, ignored her and she was now spending more time with her best friends.

The news spread like fire throughout the campus and Sasuke was enraged. He even confronted Neji and all Neji did was ignore him which resulted to a fight but was stopped by both Ran and Sakura immediately.

"Sasuke, you okay?" Sakura asked as Sasuke wiped some blood off his mouth.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said, his voice hoarse. Neji just gave him one last glare before leaving.

"Neji-kun! Wait for me!" Ran called out and Neji too, ignored her. Sakura knew it would be pointless talking to him and she decided just to tend Sasuke's wounds.

At the clinic…

"There, you're done." Sakura said as she cleaned the mess up and placed the first aid kit back on where it was before. Sasuke looked at her.

"Sakura, I'm sorry about what happened."

Sakura forced a fake smile.

"Sorry for what?" Sakura didn't turn to look at him.

"I can't believe he did this to you. I was so mad that I confronted him. I thought he was sincere, but I was wrong before." Sasuke said, looking down. Sakura clenched her fists.

"I was like his other girl friends. And now, he's getting married with that bitch. I can't believe this is even happening… he looked so sincere and honest to me." Sakura replied, as her shoulders started to shake and tears dropped at the table. Sasuke stood up.

"Sakura…"

"I mean, this is better than being like a fool… I loved him so much you know."

"I know that Sakura."

"I was blinded by my love that's why I didn't realize on what was really going on. I was fed with lies and you have no idea how much it hurts." Sakura said, her voice shaking. Sasuke patted her in the shoulder.

"Sakura, I'm here for you. Remember that."

Sakura turned to him and cried on his shirt. Sasuke hugged her, trying to calm her down and she sobbed harder. Sasuke was really mad at Neji for doing this to her.

From the door, a pair of white eyes watched them carefully.

'_I'm sorry… Sakura.'_

-----

A.N.: Wow, I was typing this down and I was playing a sad song, it made me teary eyed. Well, I'm sorry for this folks (about Neji and Sakura I mean) but I assure you, there's much more events that are going to happen. But this time, I could only say that Sasuke and Sakura's bond grew even stronger and I think Sasuke's having a chance now. I must stop here since my eyes hurt badly maybe because I had been in the computer for hours now. So, read and review guys!

E.I.


	17. Chapter 17

A.N.: Okay, one reviewer (sasusaku4ever) wanted a chapter that is only for Sasuke and Sakura so how can I refuse:) So, this chapter is going to be about Sasuke and Sakura! Enjoy folks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-----

Sakura was now inside her house while staring absentmindedly at her blank ceiling. She has been doing that for hours now and all she did was ponder about what just happened between her and the man she loved.

'_Neji… how can you do this to me!'_

She reminisced all those times when they were together. She never felt so happy in her entire life. Neji was her first boy friend and probably the last. She felt extremely happy and comfortable whenever Neji is around and Sakura just couldn't take the fact that he broke up with her. Come to think of it, she realized that about a few nights ago, she and Neji were having a good time together at the amusement park until he told her about the engagement and she even promised him that she would do anything just to persuade his dad about accepting her and stopping the engagement. But what's with the sudden change?

Sakura didn't even bother coming to school today since it would only feel even more worse seeing Ran clinging on to Neji and Neji treating her like a complete stranger. It was like they didn't have a relationship at the first place.

A week without Neji was… unexplainable. Good thing Sasuke was always with her just to cheer her up.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Sakura's eyebrows met as she opened the door and saw Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!" She gasped. Sasuke studied her eyes and knew she had been crying again. Just thinking of the fact that Sakura was crying for Neji hurt him.

"Sakura, can I come in?" He asked politely. Sakura nodded as she stepped aside and he came in. Sakura closed the door behind them and they proceeded to the living room.

"Do you want to have some tea first?" Sakura asked and Sasuke only returned it with a soft 'no'. Sakura sat down at the couch opposite to him as Sasuke stared at her.

"Sakura, I was just checking up on you, if you don't mind." Sasuke started. Sakura shook her head and gave him a smile. Sasuke noticed the clothes she was wearing. A large white t-shirt and a pair of cargo mini-shorts. She looked undeniably seductive.

Sasuke shook his head.

'_Damn it. Stop thinking like that.'_

"Sasuke-kun? You okay?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." He replied softly.

"It's okay. I was expecting you to do this anyway." Sakura gave a slight chuckle and Sasuke returned it with an extremely small smile. There was a moment of silence between the two.

"Sakura, do you wanna go out tonight? I mean, it's nothing personal. I just wanna help you divert your mind to other things other than Neji, since thinking of him would just make you cry." Sasuke explained as Sakura stared at him and after a few seconds, she smiled.

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Nothing personal ok?"

"Ok. Well then, I'll pick you up at seven. Is that okay?" Sasuke asked, standing up. Sakura followed suit and she nodded. She escorted him to the door and Sasuke left. But before he could even leave, Sakura called out for him again.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun." She said and gave him a peck on the cheeks as a thank you. Sasuke blushed as he nodded and went off. Sakura waved goodbye as Sasuke's car (the one Sakura paid for) disappeared from her view.

'_Thank you Sasuke-kun for helping me. You're always there when I needed someone to lean on and you even confronted Neji for me.'_

And she turned on her heels and went back inside her lonely house.

By seven…

Sakura changed into a pair of jeans, a pair of sneakers, and a printed sky blue tee. Sakura remembered how formal she looked when Neji asked her out for the first time and she decided to change that. Sasuke won't mind anyway.

She just let her hair down and brushed it until she heard a car stop in front of her house and knew instantly that it was Sasuke's car because of the smooth noise that only an expensive car would make.

"Help me Sasuke-kun. Help me get over Neji." She mumbled to her reflection at the mirror before standing up and closing her bedroom door.

"Good evening Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved. Sasuke was dressed in a black t-shirt with a pair of cargo pants and he still looked handsome as usual. Sasuke nodded back at her as they clambered inside the car.

"So! Where are we going!" Sakura asked, her voice filled with enthusiasm. Sasuke just turned the radio on and played a soft song.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Anywhere." Sakura replied, smiling at him.

"There's no place named 'anywhere'. Be specific." Sasuke responded while smiling. Sakura chuckled at his reply.

"Okay… specific. I want to go to the temple first… to pray." Sakura thought, tapping a finger at her chin as Sasuke nodded and drove off. Sakura watched him drive and noticed how smooth his driving skills were. Gosh, his girl friend would be SO lucky.

'_Wait, did I just…'_

Yet, even though Sasuke and Neji were like yin and yang, or something like that, she still notices some similarities between the two men. They were silent, they were kind to the people they are close to, and they are both smooth drivers, and damn, they are both rich, hot and handsome!

When they stopped in front of the temple, there were only few people there, mostly adults. Sasuke parked the car as they clambered off and headed to the inner part of the temple to pray.

Later…

"What did you pray for Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, standing up. Sasuke gave a small sad smile.

'_That you would forget Neji and love me in return.'_

"It's a secret. How about you?" Sasuke asked and they proceeded to walk back at the place where he parked the car. Sakura pouted.

"It's also a secret." Sakura remarked and Sasuke knew it was about Neji which gave him another painful pang in the heart. Why did Neji leave Sakura? Yes, he did play on his other girl friends but his treatment for Sakura was different. So far, Sakura was the only one who didn't complain about him and she was the one who lasted longest among his other girl friends. This means, Neji really loved her.

'_But what's the reason of breaking up with her like that?'_

When they went inside, Sasuke folded the roof (it was convertible) which made Sakura give out a gasp of happiness.

"Ooh, I love riding convertibles at night!" She squealed. Sasuke eyed her.

"Neji's car isn't convertible. So where did you ride some convertible cars except this one?" Sasuke asked, curious. Sakura started to gave out a nervous laugh.

"Ahehe… Um… my other… uh… friends used to have convertibles!" Sakura replied. Sasuke turned the car on as he wondered why Sakura would lie. Is there something about her that he didn't know?

"Sasuke, where are we going next?"

He knew the amusement park would just bring bad memories towards her so he pondered of where he would take her next. A restaurant maybe? Yeah, that's it.

"You hungry?"

"A little." Sakura replied quietly. Sasuke smiled.

"Then we're going to eat." He said before driving off.

----

Sasuke brought her towards a floating restaurant. It was really romantic and most of the costumers were lovers which made both Sasuke and Sakura a little bit awkward about each other. They chose the table on the farthest corner since it was the most romantic place in all of the restaurant.

"Wow Sasuke-kun, this restaurant is beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed. Sasuke motioned for the waiter and a young looking waiter went towards them and served them with the menu. When Sasuke was still reading the menu, Sakura looked at him. He really was handsome.

"Sakura, what do you want?" He asked. He noticed Sakura was just staring at him.

"Sakura?"

"Oh! Um… I would want this one." Sakura pointed a dish in the menu as the waiter jotted it down on his paper. When he left, Sakura stared at the water. The restaurant was on a lake.

'_This is so romantic.'_

Sakura looked back at Sasuke, who was equally deep in thought while looking at the table. He was fair skinned, with his beautiful onyx eyes that caught many women's hearts and his cool raven hair. Even though he was rude to other people, like Neji, he was really kind.

"Take a picture. It would last longer." Sasuke said out of the blue as Sakura slightly jumped in surprise. She noticed Sasuke smiling at her which made her blush somehow.

"Um… sorry."

A moment of silence…

"Sasuke-kun, do you know Kobayashi Zaibatsu?" Sakura asked. Sasuke drank some water from the glass as he looked at her.

"Mr. Kobayashi? Yeah, I know him. Why?"

"My mom and dad work for him. Nothing special, I just remembered him. He visited me when I was in the hospital."

"Oh. He's the richest man in the country but he's pretty old. A hundred times richer than the Hyuuga and the Uchiha family… so did he support your parent's burial?" Sasuke asked and Sakura returned it with a nod. Again, there was another moment of silence.

"Sakura."

"Yeah?"

"Are you happy tonight? I mean having my company?" Sasuke said gently and it deeply touched her. Did Sasuke care that much about her? Now, Sakura was now feeling guilty of what she did to him.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm really happy and thank you for everything." Sakura replied.

"Stop thinking about Neji too much Sakura. I know you love him very much but you just have to let go. Remember, you may find love and lose it. But when love dies…"

"…"

"…you never have to die with it…"

"Sasuke…"

"You know what? I love you so much that every time that I see you getting hurt, another weight on my heart has been added. I wanted to inculcate in my mind that you're happy with him, so I'm going to be happy for you… like what any other sensible man would do. But I just can't."

Sakura didn't know what to say.

"I—I'm sorry for throwing this out all of a sudden…" Sasuke suddenly apologized as Sakura shook her head.

"Sasuke, no."

"Sakura…"

"Thank you… thank you for being honest to me. Thank you for telling me those words because now, I know how you felt. And I'm sorry for that, I really am. I admit, I am shocked but… I feel extremely guilty for doing this to you."

"Sakura, I don't mean to make you feel guilty I…"

"I'm sorry Sasuke…"

"You don't have to apologize to me Sakura. I understand. You loved him and that's that." Sasuke said gently as Sakura shook her head.

"Yes I did love him but now I realized, I do not deserve Neji. He just toyed on my feelings and I feel so stupid. I feel like a fool in front of him and I'm mad at him because of that. But you, you loved me even from afar and when I needed someone, you were always there, and you never asked anything in return."

Another moment of silence…

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Can… can I ask you a favor?" Sasuke asked hesitantly. Sakura nodded.

"Sure Sasuke. Anything."

"Can I… can I… I mean, could you give me chance of healing your broken heart? What I mean is, I want to see you be happy again and I'm not rushing or anything like that… I just wanna be with you…"

"Explain yourself. In English this time." Sakura said with an amused expression.

"Would you let me be Neji's replacement in your heart?" Sasuke asked before giving off an anxious smile. Sakura started to smile.

"Let me have time to think Sasuke. Okay?"

"But don't think I'm rushing things ok? I'm giving you enough time to think about it. I don't care if you don't love me in return, use me if you want to, I would still love you and I promise you I won't do what Neji did to you." Sasuke said. Sakura was inwardly shocked on what she just heard.

"Give me two days. Two days Sasuke." Sakura had already decided on what she's going to do.

"Okay. Two days." Sasuke agreed, though fairly disappointed that it would take two sleepless nights before he would hear her answer. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, with this rate of tension engulfing his body and his mind.

"And I'll give you my answer by then." Sakura finished and Sasuke just nodded. Thank God he already said that.

----

For the whole two days, Sakura had been hanging out with Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, Tenten and Hinata. But most of the time, she would spend time with Sasuke. Even having lunch with him, Sasuke bringing her home and even picking her up in the morning.

"Tonight." Sakura said as they headed to the school.

"Yeah. Tonight." Sasuke replied. Inside, he felt dead nervous and he didn't know what Sakura's answer was. He even went to the temple two days in a row just to pray that Sakura would agree to him. If she did, he would be the happiest man alive.

The thought of Sakura rejecting him under the pale moon light lingered throughout his mind with made him shudder. Just the thought of it made him want to cry. But he knew that Uchiha Sasuke doesn't cry.

At the corner of his eye he watched the beautiful girl of his dreams that had been in his mind for oh so long as her hair swayed with the wind. He berated himself just by thinking that Neji had been Sakura's girl friend and thinking that he lost to Neji and Sasuke knew he was much more good looking than him. Was it because Neji confessed to her first?

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice startled Sasuke a little, since he was really lost in his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to tell you my answer in the beach that is about one mile from the town. You know that beach?"

"Yea."

"Well then, meet me there by nine in the evening. I'm going to work in my auntie's office till eight in the evening and I'm still going to fix some things back at the house." Sakura said and Sasuke only returned it with a small nod. They entered the school gates and Sasuke turned to a corner to park his car.

"Let's go." Sasuke said before clambering out, carrying his and Sakura's bag (even though Sakura insisted that she'll carry the bag herself) and they proceeded to go to their classroom.

"Good morning!" Sakura yelled happily as Sasuke gave her the bag and Sakura thanked him and she went towards her seat. Sasuke went to the opposite direction to his own respective seat and asked Naruto if they could switch places for this day. You see, Naruto sits beside Shikamaru and Sasuke didn't like sitting beside Neji.

Fortunately, Naruto agreed to his request and Sasuke dropped his bag in Naruto's seat before giving Neji one last death glare. Neji had his eyes closed and his arms crossed so maybe he's thinking about something important again.

"Tch." He muttered in annoyance as his eyes darted towards Shikamaru, who was now banging his head on the table.

"Shika, may I inform you that you're already losing a thousand brain cells just by doing that?" Sasuke commented as he sat down. Shikamaru raised his head to look at him, his forehead turning red because of the incoherent banging.

"Hey Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed as she went to him and Sasuke smirked when he saw Neji jump in surprise when he heard Sakura calling for him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have an extra ball pen? You see, Ino and the girls won't let me borrow one and I lost my extra ball pen so…"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop blabbering. Here." Sasuke shoved the ball pen at her face.

"Hey! Now that was just rude!" Sakura placed her hands on her waist and Sasuke just gave her his famous glare. Sakura just stuck a tongue out at him.

"Put that back or else I would do something with that tongue of yours."

"Eew. Pervert." Sakura said, lightly punching his arm. Sasuke smirked.

"Anyway, thanks!" Sakura waved good bye and headed to her seat, only to be teased by her best friends. Sasuke looked back at Shikamaru, who resumed banging his head on the table.

"Hey now. What's the matter?" He asked.

"Nothing." He replied, resting his forehead on the table. He was scowling.

"Nothing? You're banging your head off and it's nothing?"

"It's nothing." Shikamaru replied sternly as he turned his head to look at the other direction and gave out a big anxious sigh. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and diverted his gaze towards Naruto, who was now talking to the annoyed Neji.

Meanwhile, at Sakura…

"Hey, I see you and Sasuke are getting in good terms." Tenten lightly punched Sakura's arm. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Sasuke and I are just friends. You know that."

"Okay, friends. Hmm… let's see, he picks you up in the morning, brings you home after classes, you go out together every now and then and most of the time in school, we see you together. Yeah… that what NORMAL friends do." Ino said sarcastically making Hinata chuckle.

"He's helping me get my mind off Neji." Sakura responded hotly.

"Ah-huh. If I'd known better, he's taking a move on you girl." Ino replied. Sakura stared at her angry face and came out a simple conclusion.

"Ino? Are you jealous?" Sakura asked teasingly. Ino returned it with an offended face.

"You DO know WHO my NEW crush is."

"Oh yeah… HIM." Tenten said as she pointed the brooding and anxious looking Shikamaru using her thumb. Sakura stared at him.

"Hey, what's wrong with lazy-ass? He looks awful."

"He's thinking maybe he should propose to me tonight or not." Ino said dreamily making Sakura roll her eyes and Tenten burst out laughing.

"Yeah right. Dream on sister."

-----

Night skies engulfed the whole town and Sakura was currently inside her house, readying herself to meet Sasuke to tell him the answer that he's been dying to hear. Deep down inside of her, she felt queasy, wondering whether if the decision that she's going to make would help her solve her predicament with her lonesome ex-boy friend that's about to get married in a few days.

What's more, she pondered if she could take the fact that he's going to say 'I do' to the woman Sakura deeply loathed. The vainglorious girl does not deserve a very reverent man like Hyuuga Neji nor receiving the Hyuuga family's name. She must admit that Ran was a worthy adversary yet Neji was the one who gave up on her and all of her efforts had only gone to waste.

With a deep sigh, she sat at the bed and rubbed her temples again, while giving out a helpless moan. She did not know what to do and she was faced with the dilemma that lingered in her mind for days now.

Should she come after Neji or just have a new relationship with Sasuke?

Sasuke…

Sakura can't help but put out a small sad smile on her face whenever Sasuke is mentioned. Even though that she had broken his heart badly, he was still there when she fell down to her knees or whenever a tear runs down her cheek. No matter what the problem is, he would still be there for her.

Yet, her feelings for the brown haired Hyuuga didn't change one single bit.

She loved Neji so much that it hurt.

----

Sakura arrived at the designated meeting place five minutes late. When she arrived, she already saw a tall figure walking down the shore with his hands on his pockets. He was wearing some loose pants, a black t-shirt and a bluish black jacket. It was cold anyway.

With a last deep breath to clear her mind, she gracefully walked towards where the Uchiha prodigy was standing.

"Hey Sasuke-kun." She greeted as Sasuke jumped in surprise and whipped his head to look at her.

"Hey." He replied, his voice weak. Okay, now he was showing signs of nervousness as well, which makes the both of them equal. Sakura turned sideways and gazed at the beach.

Sasuke couldn't help but think how nervous he was at the moment. It felt like someone was going to judge him whether he's going to live or to die. And Sakura was just standing there, gazing intently at the beach, her face unreadable as ever while he was dying out of nervousness beside her.

He wanted to say something to break the silence that was slowly devouring his whole being. However, it seems his voice was lost around his throat and if ever he could speak, he does not know what to say to her. So, he had to other option, he would just have to wait and let her speak first.

And when it felt like an eternity to him, she started to speak in her usual gentle tone.

"Sasuke-kun, the first time I met you, you weren't exactly my favorite type of person. Remember that time when you almost killed me and we yelled at each other instead of giving simple apologies?"

Sasuke blinked. So, she was going to do this little by little…

"Of course. I would never forget that day."

Sakura reminisced that moment and she remembered every single second of it. Heck, she even remembers what he was wearing that day!

"Then when I went to school, cursing, you came in the classroom and I knew that you're going to be in our class and you're also Neji's best friend at the same time. God, I was so mad that I abstained myself from storming to your seat and slapping that smirk of your face." Sakura slightly chuckled.

"…"

"And I have never thought that both of you would become one of the most important people in my life." She said, this time, looking at him. Sasuke returned it with one of his rare warm smiles.

"And the same goes for me."

The breeze swept pass them, making Sakura shiver a little. Sakura hugged herself and Sasuke only smiled wider because of her stupidity.

'_She's so stupid. She should've thought of bringing her own jacket since beaches are really cold at night, especially in this country.'_

Sasuke slowly took off his jacket and placed it over Sakura, who quietly thanked him.

"I should've brought a jacket with me. I'm so stupid." He heard her mumble.

"Don't worry. People tend to get stupid sometimes." He replied. Sakura chuckled a little.

"Even geniuses like you." She responded teasingly. There was another moment of silence until Sasuke noticed Sakura's shoulders shaking a bit and tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Sakura…?"

"I'm so stupid. I could just think of how stupid I am in Neji's eyes, looking like a love struck dog all the time. I've never felt so embarrassed in my entire life." Sakura sobbed and since Sasuke didn't know what to say to her, he just simply approached the sobbing girl and embraced her.

"Sakura, it's Neji who has been stupid. He was stupid enough to play with your feelings and he was stupid that he left a woman like you. It's his loss, not yours. And don't feel embarrassed. Neji should be the one who's getting all this embarrassment, not you." Sasuke said gently.

'_How could you do this to her Neji? How could you! You should've known better than played around with her feelings. And I thought you were smart! I thought you were smart enough to know what's right or what's wrong! Leaving Sakura like this… I could never ever forgive you!'_

"Sasuke-kun… help me… help me forget him… I want to forget all the things that I remember concerning that Hyuuga… I want to renew my life." Sakura hugged him tighter. It took a while before all the things that Sakura just said to him got digested into his brain.

"You… you mean…" Sasuke looked at her at arm's length, staring at her swollen green orbs. Sakura gave a weak smile and nodded. Sasuke stared back at her, stupefied.

"Sasuke-kun? You okay?" Sakura asked only to be hugged by Sasuke again.

"Thank you Sakura-chan for giving me a chance." He mumbled. Sakura gave only a small smile before she hugged him back.

----

"WWWHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!"

'_Déjà vu?'_

As far as Sakura could remember, Ino had the same reaction when she knew about Neji being her boy friend…

"YOU CAUGHT TWO HOT GUYS SAKURA! I'm… I'm amazed by your powers!" Ino said breathlessly as Tenten congratulated her with a small hug. Hinata felt happy for her best friend and thanked God that everything was going fine.

'_But Neji-san couldn't look much worse now… he looks terribly sad and awful. I wonder why… Since that day, I never had the chance to talk to him since he's always inside his room…'_

"Don't talk like that pig. You making me look like a flirt." Sakura replied hotly.

"This calls for a celebration! Where's Sasuke…?" Tenten asked, her eyes looking around while rubbing her hands together.

"Why are you looking for Sasuke, Tenten?"

"Well duh! We're going to celebrate and it's only right for him to be the one to pay for the bill!" Tenten replied enthusiastically and went up the branch to find the handsome raven-haired prodigy. Hinata only sweat dropped anime style.

"Looking for me?"

----

A.N.: Okay, don't be disappointed since the sasusaku moments isn't over yet! Hehehehe. I promise you guys that more surprises are going to happen especially about Sakura!

Read and review!

E.I.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Neji was currently at the gardens of his estate, strolling around to calm himself. He didn't go to school today since he would only see Sasuke and Sakura together, a scene that he absolutely loathed. But he had no other option… he left her for Pete's sake!

'_I had to do it or else she would be in danger.'_

_**Flashback**_

"_**What?" Neji asked his father as he turned to him, giving him a stern look.**_

"_**Break up with that girl. I already had the engagement arranged with Ran." He replied sternly. Neji turned livid in anger. **_

"_**I won't break up with Sakura, father! I love her!" He yelled back, losing his patience. Yelling to his father could be dangerous, but whenever Sakura is concerned, he doesn't care one bit.**_

_**Because of his words, his father also lost patience and slammed his hand on the table.**_

"_**NEJI! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK UP WITH HER OR ELSE I WOULD BE FORCED TO GET RID OF HER! YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OUR SOCIETY FROWNS ON THIS KIND OF RELATIONSHIP AND I WON'T LET THAT WOMAN BE IN OUR FAMILY! SHE JUST DOESN'T MIX WITH US!"**_

_**Neji stared back at him and turned at his heels, heading for the door. But before he could turn the doorknob, his father said something horrifying.**_

"_**If you're not going to break up with that Sakura of yours, I would kill her."**_

_**End of Flashback**_

He kicked a stone angrily as he jammed his hands on his pockets while feeling the same hatred that he felt at that day. His mother tried to comfort him but not even his own mother could make him feel better. What's making him feel worse was that he's going to be married to that bitch a few days from now.

"Damn you father." He cursed, kicking the same stone again.

"NEJI-KUN! NEJI-KUN!" A familiar annoying squeal snapped him out of his thoughts which made Neji groan in annoyance as he turned his head and forced a fake smile at his fiancée.

"Hey Ran. What's the rush?" He asked gently, hiding the anger in his tone. Ran panted as she straightened herself up.

"Something just happened in school today! About Sakura!" She yelled, waving her hands around like an idiot. Neji looked at her.

"What about her?" He tried to keep his voice cool and calm.

"I just heard that Sakura had just got together with that best friend of yours! You know? The handsome one that was sitting beside you before?"

Neji blinked.

"What?"

Ran rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Like duh! Didn't you hear me? I said, Sakura's current boy friend is that Uchiha guy! Uh! I can't believe it! The nerve of that woman! First you, then that guy! How many guys is she going to victimize! What do you think Neji-kun?"

"…"

"Neji-kun? You okay?" Ran asked, waving a hand before Neji's blank face.

'_Sasuke already made a move on her! And he's Sakura's boy friend now?'_

"YO! NEJI!" Ran yelled. Neji jumped in surprise.

"You okay? You look… zoned out."

"I'm… I'm fine…" Neji said before leaving her behind. Ran stared at him.

"What's up with him?"

----

Sakura could only laugh her heart out seeing the scene before her.

Ino and Tenten were standing before the poor Sasuke, who was leaning on the trunk. Well, let's just say that there's some kind of an interrogation going on here, and both of them were making sure that the incident with Neji would never happen again. Call it exaggerating but that's her best friend's usual not to mention scary tradition.

Hearing Sakura's laugh, Sasuke only glared at her, his eyes begging her for her to get him out of there. Sakura soon cleared her throat, but she was still snickering.

"All right you two, that's enough. Come on Sasuke-kun, you promised me something." Sakura said, grabbing Sasuke's arm and getting him out of Ino and Tenten's wrath. The two girls looked at each other upon hearing Sakura's statement.

"Promised her… something?"

Meanwhile…

"Okay, now where's the ice cream that you promised?" Sakura asked, placing one hand on her waist. Sasuke stared at her.

"I didn't promise anything." He replied coolly.

"You promised me last night!"

"Did I?" Sasuke gave an innocent blank face. Actually, he was playing with Sakura. He knew about the promise. How could he forget!

_**Flashback**_

_**Sasuke and Sakura are currently having a stroll around the town. They didn't use the car (Sakura's request)because she said that walking could be healthy… Sasuke didn't care much though.**_

"**_Sasuke-kun… look! An ice-cream parlor!" Sakura squealed like a little girl as she held Sasuke's hand at one hand and pointed the parlor with the other. Sasuke smiled._**

"_**You wanna eat ice cream?" He asked, as Sakura nodded. And so, they went into the parlor and Sakura ordered her favorite while Sasuke just chose a random one. **_

_**While both of them were eating, Sakura started to speak.**_

"_**Sasuke-kun, promise me that everyday you're going to treat me to this parlor." She said. Sasuke stared at her.**_

"_**You're kidding right? Every day? Are you planning to be a diabetic?"**_

_**Sakura gave a child's pout. Sasuke stared at her then gave out a sigh of defeat.**_

"_**Alright. I promise."**_

_**End of Flashback**_

Sakura glared furiously at him.

"Alright, come on." Sasuke said, giving up before he could make Sakura even madder. He grabbed her hand and they went to Sasuke's car. Sakura happily clambered inside the car and she pushed the button that made the roof fold out.

"It's so hot Sakura." He remarked, sitting in his seat and placing the key at the keyhole.

"No it won't. The wind would be our air conditioner today. Besides, you look so pale…! You need some kind of slight tanning." Sakura responded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Sasuke turned on the engine and drove off.

"I don't need 'tanning'. This is my normal color. And FYI, it's not pale. I am fair skinned."

"Fair skinned? Tch. Yeah right. You're about ten shades whiter than fair skinned people. I don't even know that pale looking people like you exist." Sakura mocked, giving an innocent face. A vein popped out of Sasuke's head.

"Go ahead and insult my complexion. I don't care."

"Oh really? But you look mad."

"I'm not mad."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

"No… I'm… not!" He stressed on every word while keeping his eyes fixed on the road. And Sakura didn't reply to him, instead, she was staring at something. Sasuke looked at the direction she was looking at.

"Neji?" He mumbled. Neji was there at the sidewalk, with his hands on his pockets and he was staring right at them.

'_Ran was right. They are together.'_

"Hmph." He heard Sakura say as she crossed her arms and looked at the other direction. Sasuke smirked as he stepped on the accelerator to speed up a little bit. And for the whole trip, Sakura was indeed very quiet.

When they reached the ice cream parlor, he parked the car and they went inside. They sat on their usual seat and ordered their usual flavors. Now Sasuke was having a favorite flavor.

"You like sundaes?" Sakura asked as they waited for their orders to come. Sasuke just nodded. There was another moment of silence.

"Sakura, don't mind him." Sasuke told her to make her feel better. And it did.

----

"Honey?" Setsuko's smooth and calm voice echoed around the humungous office as her husband looked up from his paper work and smiled at her.

"What is it?" He asked gently, putting his pen down. Setsuko went towards him and sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, making Hizashi chuckle. Good thing Neji wasn't there or he would have puked.

"Can I ask you a teensy weensy favor?" She asked slowly. Hizashi smiled at her.

"Sure."

"Can you postpone the marriage and move it to next month?" She asked almost hesitantly. Hizashi blinked at her favor.

"And may I ask what the reason is Setsuko?"

"You know, Ran and Neji need time… to know about each other. And maybe we would be rushing things a bit if we would do it in a few days. I think the kids aren't ready yet." Setsuko said, thinking of the possible reasons why they should postpone the aforementioned wedding.

"They're childhood friends." Hizashi reminded her.

"But still… they look like they aren't ready yet. I want them to be… let's see… be comfortable with each other so that they won't have difficulties with each other after the wedding."

'_Just say yes dammit.'_

Hizashi just eyed her.

"Pretty please…?"

"…"

"With sugar on top?" She asked, kissing him in the nose. Hizashi sighed.

"Oh, alright. Then tell Neji and Ran."

"YES! Thank you Honey! You're the best!" Setsuko said as she gave him a peck on the lips before jumping out from his lap and walked out. Hizashi just smirked and resumed to his work.

-----

"Neji! Neji! Neji! Neji!" Her mother called out enthusiastically as Neji, who was entering the living room with a scowl, glanced at her in confusion.

"Neji! I have good news!" She yelled happily. Neji eyed her.

'_When he does that glare, he obviously looks like his father himself.'_

"What is it mother?" He asked, sitting down at the couch. His mother sat beside him as she gave one big sigh.

"I postponed the wedding! Isn't that great! Your father agreed!"

Neji took the glass of juice that the servant offered to him as he took a sip, his face the same.

"Aren't you happy Neji?"

"Mother, that was really nice of you for persuading father to do that but… it won't change anything. I would still be married to Ran… only longer." Neji replied coolly. His mother's face dropped.

"Oh Neji… don't be sad… you know what? I don't blame you for breaking up with Sakura-chan. I like her, I really do! But you did it for her sake. For these past few days, you looked completely awful, especially when you knew about Sasuke having her now."

"Don't remind me of that."

"But that's reality, son. But I can't bear seeing you looking like that. That's why I postponed the marriage. You may not appreciate this now but you'll thank me later!" His mother winked before rubbing her hand on his back to comfort him. Neji gave her a small smile.

"Thank you for everything mother but Sakura won't come back. I would be stuck with Ran for the rest of my life."

"No. I won't let that happen. Leave everything to me… okay Neji?" She said before giving him a peck on the forehead and left. Neji just smirked as he took another sip on his juice, as an image popped into his mind.

It was the image… the thing that he saw earlier.

And boy… did it hurt.

----

After the salon, they proceeded to the mall and they strolled around the whole mall holding each other's hands. They looked pretty cute.

"Look Sasuke-kun! It's so cute!" She squealed like a little girl as she pointed a HUGE teddy bear. Sasuke knew by it's appearance that it was pretty expensive. The sales lady eyed the couple.

"Aww… such a cute couple! Why don't you buy your girl friend this teddy bear? It's a limited edition! Only three thousand yen!"

"THREE THOUSAND YEN!" Sakura yelled, her eyes getting big as saucers. Sasuke felt embarrassment rush over his body. The sales lady was taken aback at her statement.

"I'm sorry miss… but it's too expensive… come on—"

"Do you accept credit cards?" Sasuke butted in. Sakura looked at him, shocked. The sales lady looked absolutely delighted.

"Yes sir! Do you wanna purchase this bear?" She asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped. She was yes, happy… VERY happy but should he spend that much just for her?

"Sakura, it's nothing. Don't worry. It's a gift." He winked at her and boy, it made Sakura blush like hell! He was just SO darn handsome! He let go of her hand as he went to the counter to pay for the bear.

'_Sasuke-kun… he's… he's so SWEET!'_

Sasuke lifted the bear as he held Sakura's hand again. Even though the bear was large, it was very light. Sakura just looked at him.

"Sasuke-kun, thank you so much." She said hesitantly. Sasuke just smiled.

"You want to carry this bear? It's light. And I know you have amazing strength." Sasuke said, offering the bear to her. Sakura nodded happily as she accepted the bear and snuggled with it. Sasuke only gave her a gentle smile.

And out of the blue, Sakura gave him a peck on the lips! And they were on the mall for crying out loud!

"Why are you looking so embarrassed about? There's nothing wrong with it. We're not French kissing or anything. And that was a thank you kiss. You made me feel VERY happy Sasuke-kun! I would treasure this bear for the rest of my life! In fact, I'm going to name it after you!" Sakura said happily, grabbing his hand again.

"You're so sweet Sasuke-kun. You know that? And any girl would be lucky to have you!" Sakura said, snuggling on the bear as they walked around the mall. Sasuke smirked.

"So you're lucky."

"Yes, I am…"

---

A.N.: Aww… so sweet… well, that's it for now!

Read and review guys!

E.I.


	19. Chapter 19

A.N.: Okay, since the school year is about to start… I need to rush this up because I know I'd be BUSY as hell by that time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

'_I need to find some things about Sakura-chan that could persuade Hizashi to be Neji's wife… but… yeah, she's talented… but I know that's not enough.'_

Setsuko walked back and forth around her office, trying to think of what to do about Neji and Sakura. She had to do something or Neji would feel terrible and probably would die early if he will marry Ran. That's something inevitable. And she just can't let that happen! Neji's her son for crying out loud!

'_How could Hizashi be so cruel? He blackmailed Neji so that he could break up with Sakura-chan!'_

Yes, she was mad at Hizashi for making this whole mess but what could she do?

"Think Setsuko! Think! Dammit!" She cursed to herself.

---

It was already night time and Sakura was now inside her bedroom and was snuggling on the teddy bear that Sasuke gave her earlier.

'_Aww… he's so sweet… Neji didn't even bother giving me this kind of teddy bear'_

Sakura studied the bear closely. It was light colored with a pink ribbon tied around its neck… nothing special… just a huge teddy bear.

As she continued studying the bear, she noticed something hard on its back.

"Is this a button or something?" Sakura became curious. She pushed the button.

"_I love you Sakura…" _Sasuke's voice sounded as Sakura blinked.

"Whoa, wait… what was that all about?"

----

Sasuke smirked as he laid on his king sized bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

'_Did she already find out about the recorder?'_

_**Flashback**_

"_**Oh, and sir, this bear also has a special feature…!" The saleslady whispered to him as he gave the credit card to the cashier.**_

"_**What is it then?" He asked.**_

"_**It has a recorder. You just push the button three times and it will record on whatever you say. And if she pushes the button once, the recorded voice would play… do you wanna record something now sir? You know, just to surprise your pretty girl friend." The saleslady suggested. **_

"_**Here's your credit card sir. Please sign on these two receipts." The cashier told him as she gave him a ball pen and Sasuke signed it with a flourish. Then, he turned to the saleslady.**_

"_**Sure."**_

_**End of Flashback**_

Sasuke smiled.

-----

"OH GOD! AHHHHH! SASUKE-KUN YOU'RE SOOOOOOOOO SWWEEEEETTTTTTTT!" Sakura yelled as she hugged the teddy bear. She saw her cell phone that was on her bed side table and decided to call on her boy friend.

"Sakura?" His voice sounded on the other line. Sakura giggled.

Sasuke gave a slight chuckle. Okay, so she already discovered the recorder.

"I love you too…!" Sakura squealed. He smiled.

"Did you like my surprise?" He asked, wishing that Sakura was beside him right now. God, it's only been a few hours and he already misses her! Look at what love can do…

"You bet I did! You're so sweet you know that! I was studying the bear and I noticed something hard on the back so I guessed it was a button and my guess was right…!" And she continued on to babble about how she discovered the recorder… and Sasuke was just half listening.

"Sakura, calm down."

"How can I calm down! That's the sweetest thing I've ever experienced!" and with her statement, Sasuke smiled.

'_So… I overthrew Neji on the 'being sweet' category.'_

"Gosh Sasuke-kun, I didn't know boy friends like you exist! Girls would kill just for a guy like you!" Sakura said as Sasuke laughed.

At the other line, Sakura heard Sasuke's laugh which shocked her somehow. It was her first time to hear him give out a whole hearted laugh!

"You're kidding right? I only did that because I love you."

"Aww… I love you too. So, I'm going to see you tomorrow okay? Good night, sweet dreams and I love you Sasuke-kun!" She said and Sasuke smiled.

"Same here."

And he hung up. Sakura squealed again as she hugged the bear and started to sing a love song.

-----

The next day…

"Aww… that's so sweet Sakura! Hey! Could you show me the bear later?" Ino asked.

"You could come at my house by seven I think. Sasuke-kun and I have some other places to go after classes." Sakura said as Ino, Tenten and Hinata nodded.

"I'm amazed by you Haruno." Ran's voice sounded from behind her as they turned their heads.

"And why is that Suboshi?" She asked grimly.

"One time you're madly in-love with MY Neji-kun then the next thing I know, you're going out with that Uchiha! I think you're just sucking out their money and toying on them! You… You social climber!" Ran said and followed it with an evil laugh.

"Excuse me! How DARE you call Sakura a social climber!" Ino stood up furiously. The class watched the whole scene.

"She's just making Sasuke and Neji her sugar daddies!"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT! NEJI WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE UP WITH HER AND SASUKE WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED HER! SHE'S NOT MAKING THEM HER SUGAR DADDIES!" Tenten stood up angrily as well, staring at Ran.

Sasuke saw the scene as he hurriedly went there. And so did Neji.

"Ran, stop this nonsense! I'm ordering you!" Neji yelled. Sakura was just giving her a calm face, even though Ran's words deeply offended her.

"No I won't Neji! A girl like her is just a disgrace to our society! She's acting like a pure prostitute! Don't tell me you haven't been in bed with Neji and Sasuke before SAKURA!"

That did it.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Sasuke yelled.

Ino lounged herself at Ran, and Neji protected her in an instant. Sakura stood up, her bangs covering her eyes. Naruto was restraining Sasuke from punching Ran in the face. Neji was about to punch Sasuke as well but was held back by Shikamaru.

"STOP THIS!" Hinata tried to calm everybody down but to no avail. Out of nowhere, Sakura pulled out a dagger, grabbed Ran's collar, pushed her towards the wall and pointed the dagger at her throat.

"If you're going to offend me like that one last time Suboshi, I won't hesitate on killing you. I already gave you my warning when you tried to take my house away and serve me with expulsion papers!"

"What! She did!" Neji yelled, stunned.

"Yes she did! But unfortunately, she lost in the case… so I got my house back." Sakura replied, not looking at him.

"I did not tell you about that Neji because I don't want to be a burden to you." Sakura added, inching the dagger closer to Ran's throat.

"I don't care if you're the fucking head of a gang Suboshi. Remember this, I can drive your whole gang into its knees. Just wait… and you'll be surprised." Sakura hissed dangerously as she hid the dagger with an amazing speed and left, leaving everyone stunned.

---

"Sakura! Wait!" Sasuke yelled as Sakura went to the rooftop, not slowing down. When they reached there, Sasuke slowly closed the door but stopped midway when he saw Ino and the others following.

"I'm going to do this alone guys… just wait there." He said at the group as he left the door slightly ajar, so that they could hear them.

"Sakura, don't believe Ran. She was just jealous of you…" Sasuke started.

"Sasuke-kun… am I… am I acting that way? I mean… do I look like that in front of other people? That I'm just making you and Neji my sugar daddy?" Sakura asked, not looking at him.

"No… no Sakura. Those gifts are for you, we gave them to you because Neji and I both love you… we give you things even though you don't ask for it and maybe they're just blinded by their jealousy that they actually made up stories…"

Another moment of silence…

"Sasuke-kun, promise me something…"

"Sure… what is it? Anything."

"Don't buy me things that I don't ask for okay? You're spending too much for me and I can't even repay you…"

"You don't need to repay me Sakura. Your love is enough… more than enough."

Sasuke hugged her.

"I won't promise you anything but I'll try… okay?"

"Okay…" Sakura mumbled as she hugged him back. She saw her other friends emerge from the door.

"We're always here for you Sakura. And don't worry! We'll make that bitch pay!" Ino said, as Naruto nodded in agreement.

"By the way Sakura, what were you hissing to Ran about… her face was really priceless!" Naruto said as Sakura cleared her throat.

"Nothing important."

"Oh… okay then! Let's go back before our sensei would scold us!" Naruto said as everyone nodded in agreement and returned towards their classroom.

-----

Setsuko pushed a button on her intercom.

"Bring me Junichi and Suijiro." She called out as she went to her seat and gave out one exasperated sigh. She has to do something!

----

Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Hinata were now inside Sakura's house since Sakura promised them that she would show them Sasuke, the teddy bear.

"Oh wow! I wish Shikamaru would do that for me!" Ino sighed dreamily, hugging the bear.

"You wish. That would only happen if you yourself would ask Shikamaru out on a date." Tenten said as she took a sip of juice. Ino kept on hugging the bear as she stuck her tongue out at Tenten.

"Hey Tenten, do you have someone in mind as well?" Sakura asked teasingly. Tenten turned red.

"Now why would I have someone in mind!"

"Yeah Sakura… she's a tomboy." Ino replied.

"HEY! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Tenten yelled, rolling her sleeves.

"Why are you so mad! You LOOK like a tomboy. You always put your hair on two buns, wear t-shirts and baggy pants. Uh! So hideous!" Ino replied, trying to look disgusted.

"For your information miss preppy, I feel comfortable in these clothes! Unlike your ruffled mini-skirts and spaghetti tops! You're showing your skins off those… Eew! Perverted guys!"

"You're just jealous because not one guy wants you!"

"Well I'm thankful for that because I don't spend all day running from them!"

"STOP!" Sakura yelled. "YOU'RE BOTH DRIVING ME INSANE!"

"Sorry." Tenten and Ino apologized.

"Argh… I wonder why I keep up with both of you… you two are always fighting!" Sakura said, standing up and heading to the kitchen to find something to eat. Hinata giggled.

"So Sakura, where did you go today?" Hinata asked. Sakura smiled.

"Somewhere…" She replied.

"Somewhere huh? Tenten, is there such a place called 'Somewhere'?" Ino asked Tenten, who chuckled.

"Geez, I don't know. Maybe we should check the map Ino. What do you think?" She replied sarcastically. Sakura chuckled as she found four bags of chips and placed it on the table.

"We went to the usual resto, you know, the floating restaurant… then… the mall… then… we drove around the town and that's it!" Sakura explained, opening one bag.

"Wow… talk about capital B-oring." Ino said simply, eating one chip from Sakura's bag.

"It's not boring Ino… if possible, we could just spend the whole day together doing nothing… you'll know when you're in-love…" Sakura replied, yanking her bag away from Ino's reach, who just opened her own bag and started to eat.

"Hey Hinata, how's life? Some improvements with that blonde boy?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah Hinata. He called you Hinata-chan back at the sparring match right."

Hinata blushed.

"Hey Sakura, where did that dagger come from? I mean, I saw you holding one and then, when you finished with Ran, it disappeared!" Ino butted in. Sakura choked from her food.

"Uh… err… that dagger? Well… I inherited it from my… father and it happens to be in my pocket! You were just probably busy watching Ran so you didn't notice me hiding it!" Sakura replied, looking nervous.

"You look nervous Sakura, is something the matter?"

"Nope. Nothing! Nothing at all! So… Hinata! How's Naruto?" Sakura intentionally changed the subject.

"We're… not… um…"

"We know you two are still not dating. We're just asking for some improvements. Geez… no need to blush THAT hard." Tenten replied.

"Yeah Hinata… so… any improvements?" Ino asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah… I think… he talks to me more often… you know… than before… and um… he keeps calling me Hinata-chan… and…"

"Spit it out."

"One time, he actually kissed me on the cheek."

"WWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" The three yelled at the same time. Hinata sweat dropped anime style.

"REALLY! WHEN!"

"Um… it was two days ago when I helped him with his assignment…and um… he said the kiss is … um it means thank you."

----

"I want you to know EVERYTHING about Sakura… you got that! Even hack the files from the main archive of the country. I want to know EVERY SINGLE THING about her okay! DO EVERYTHING!" Setsuko said at the two men sternly.

"But Lady Setsuko, Lady Ran also asked for that but it turned out that she's a normal person."

"No… I think she's not. There's something fishy about Sakura and I want to know what that is! My son's happiness is at stake and if you'll fail, then… expect some heavy punishment! You got that! You may go." Setsuko ordered as they bowed and left.

"I'm giving you three weeks." She added before they closed the door.

----

Three weeks have passed and Sasuke and Sakura were still going strong. Actually, it was Saturday and both of them were inside Sakura's house, lounging.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out from the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Sasuke replied absentmindedly as he continued reading a book on the sofa.

"What do you want for lunch? Oh…! I'm going to cook your favorite foods!" Sakura yelled happily as he smiled. He closed the book and placed it gently at the glass coffee table and went to the kitchen.

Sakura was wearing some mini-shorts and a large navy blue shirt. Sasuke was wearing his pants and his usual Uchiha shirt. Sakura was now shuffling around, trying to get the ingredients ready as he took one tomato from the fridge and ate it.

"Eew Sasuke-kun… how come you like tomatoes huh?" She asked.

"Why are you looking so disgusted? It's just tomatoes. They're delicious and they're also healthy." Sasuke replied.

-----

"Here are the results Lady Setsuko… you were right. She's not an ordinary person…" Junichi said as he gave her one thick file folder. Setsuko hurriedly read it and when she did, she fell to her chair in shock.

"You've got to be kidding me!" She yelled.

"We're not. That's the real Haruno Sakura. Unfortunately, Lady Ran didn't know about that because they didn't search the main archives."

Setsuko felt like she's going to have a heart attack.

"Bring me some water!" She yelled as the servants hurriedly gave her one glass. Suijiro and Junichi sat on the chairs. Setsuko was indeed very pale.

----

A.N.: Okay! You guys must be brainstorming right now of WHO Sakura REALLY IS in this story… and you'll be shocked!

Ethereal Infernia


	20. Chapter 20

A.N.: THANK YOU ALL FOR THOSE AWESOME REVIEWS! Anyway, I'm listening to a Naruto soundtrack… entitled Sadness and sorrow and damn, it was so nice. And also the ones entitles Loneliness and alone! So beautiful! Sniff! Hey! I have started another story entitled 'STELLAR CASCADE'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Setsuko hurriedly drank the water as she fanned herself with her own hand while trying to pound those shocking information into her brain.

"You two… you two may go." She dismissed them as the two bowed and left the room. When she had calmed down completely, she reread the folder and a weight had lifted from her shoulders. Everything's falling into place.

---

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped as Sasuke made her turn around and kissed her (talk about having the same style as Neji). Sakura soon obliged to his request before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him back passionately.

(A.N.: Neji also kissed her when she was making some… was it dinner? He did it on the past chapter… I dunno what chapter that was)

'_I love Sakura so much that I don't know what to do anymore…'_

When they parted for air, Sakura smiled at him.

"You're really kinda aggressive aren't you?" Sakura whispered seductively at him as she rubbed her nose against Sasuke's nose. Sasuke grinned.

"Blame yourself for being so irresistible." He replied. Sakura was inwardly startled on what he just said as a piece of her memory popped into her mind.

"_And why do you have to be so damn irresistible?"_

Sakura almost felt teary-eyed when she remembered the time when Neji said that to her (It's in Chap 13) and half of her still couldn't believe that instead of Neji, Sasuke was now the one in front of her.

"Sakura? Something the matter?" Sasuke asked worriedly. Sakura shook her head. She still feels some pain whenever she remembers Neji… and come to think of it, since that incident with Ran, she never saw Neji again because he doesn't come to school anymore…

'_What happened to him…?'_

"Sasuke-kun, I need to prepare lunch." Sakura said gently, pinching his nose a bit as she turned around and reached out for the ingredients. However, Sasuke didn't let her. He just held her still, not letting her go.

"Sasuke-kun!" When Sakura turned to look at him again, Sasuke kissed her for the second time. Sasuke lips moved to her neck. Sakura gasped.

'_Everything's the same…!'_

"I love you too much." Sasuke mumbled through her skin. Much to her shock, Sasuke hands went under her shirt while he was still giving out a trail of kisses this time, on her collar bone. A tear fell down Sakura's cheek.

'_At everything he does… I remember Neji… why?'_

'_I love them both… is it possible to love two people at once…?'_

-----

Neji was in his bed, lying on his stomach while his head was resting on the pillow. Ever since he knew about Ran trying to serve Sakura with some expulsion papers, he didn't have the mood to talk to Ran. He was mad at her… and he also saw the expression in Sakura's face when she told him that she doesn't want to be a burden.

He turned on the radio to listen to some songs… so that he could relax himself. When the DJ finished babbling, he played a song.

**_Wish I could be the one  
the one who could give you love  
the kind of love you really need  
Wish I could say to you_**

**_That I'll always stay with you  
But baby that's not me  
you need someone willing to give their heart and soul to you  
Promise you forever, baby that's something I can't do_**

Neji groaned as he smashed his face in the pillow, feeling a heap of pain in his heart. He should be with Sakura today, maybe kissing her… how he missed those lips… but he knew that he won't be able to taste those lips ever again… and instead… he would be forced to Ran.

**_Oh I could say that I'll be all you need  
But that would be a lie  
I know I'd only hurt you  
I know I'd only make you cry  
I'm not the one you're needing  
I love you, goodbye_**

"Sakura…" how he longed for her… and just by thinking that she's happy with that Uchiha makes him want to tear himself up into pieces and just… die. At least if he would be dead, he would be able to watch over her forever and he won't be with Ran.

**_I hope someday you can find some way to understand I'm only doing this for you  
I don't really wanna go  
But deep in my heart I know this is the kindest thing to do  
You'll find someone who'll be the one that I could never be  
Who'll give you something better  
Than the love you'll find with me  
Oh I could say that I'll be all you need  
But that would be a crime  
I know I'd only hurt you  
I know I'd only make you cry  
I'm not the one you're needing  
I love you, goodbye_**

But he did that for her… to save her life… if he's going to be with Sakura… Sakura's life would be in terrible danger.

**_Leaving someone when you love someone  
Is the hardest thing to do  
When you love someone as much as I love you_**

Oh I don't wanna leave you  
Baby it tears me up inside  
But I'll never be the one you're needing  
I love you, goodbye

Baby, its never gonna work out  
I love you, goodbye  


It was painful… the pain was worse than death itself… He pictured an image of Sasuke and Sakura kissing passionately under the pale moon light and hearing Sakura's 'I love you'.

Neji just couldn't bear it…

"I just love her too much."

And he knew that he's going to be miserable for the rest of his life with Ran. It's so unfair because his dad gets to marry the woman he loves…

'_But mom is from a rich family as well that's why grand pa agreed.'_

----

Sasuke woke up from his slumber as he moaned and sat up, and eyed the woman beside him. Sakura was still asleep, looking contented and happy. He smiled as he crouched down and gave a peck on her forehead before reaching out for his shorts and putting them on.

He went down and into the kitchen and drank a glass of water as he eyed the ingredients at the counter top. He placed the empty glass at the sink before heading back to the bedroom.

When he arrived there, Sakura was still asleep although she has changed positions. He went to the window to stare at the scenery outside and stared at the raven perched on top of a tree branch, pecking on its own wings.

'_I wonder what Neji is doing right now…'_

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura yawned as she sat up, holding the blanket close to her chest. Sasuke smiled as he crawled to the bed and sat next to her.

"How are you?" He asked, patting her head. Sakura smiled.

"Fine." She whispered back hoarsely.

Sakura stood up (the blanket is still with her) as she reached out for her bathrobe and put it on. She threw the blanket back at the bed before entering the bathroom to wash her face. When she was done, she leaned on the sink and stared at her reflection at the mirror.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" Sasuke leaned on the door frame with one hand. Sakura looked at him and quickly wiped her face with a towel.

"No… I'm fine Sasuke-kun." Sakura said before putting the towel away and approached him.

"You don't look so good." He cupped her chin.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Sakura gave him a peck on the lips before leaving the bedroom. Sasuke followed suit as he sat down on the couch while Sakura went to the kitchen to prepare some food since they were both hungry.

Sakura reached out for the remote as he turned the TV on and scanned the channels. When he noticed that nothing good was on, he turned it off and went to the kitchen only to see Sakura chopping some celery. He proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist as he rested his head on her right shoulder.

"Sakura, what are you trying to cook?"

"Some thing." She replied absentmindedly as she continued to chop. A tear ran down Sakura's cheek again, startling Sasuke even Sakura. Sakura dropped the knife as she checked the tear.

"What the? I'm crying?" Sakura whispered. Sasuke eyed her.

"Sakura, there's something wrong. Please tell me what that is."

Sakura looked at him.

"I don't know what's wrong either Sasuke-kun. It just dropped."

RING! RING! RING!

"I'll get it." Sakura said, wiping her hands with a towel nearby before running off to answer the phone. Sasuke started to walk towards her as well, and noticed that Sakura just dropped the phone, her face in shock and her hand was still raised.

"Sakura!" Sasuke ran to her. Sakura looked at him.

"Neji… he's at the hospital right now… he almost committed suicide."

Sasuke stared at her in shock.

"Do you wanna go to the hospital?"

Sakura dropped to her knees and started to cry.

"No… no… I won't."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, kneeling down beside her.

"His father is there and so is Ran. It was his mom who called me and she told me she just found Neji bleeding to death in his bed and he was also holding a knife. He was inches from death but luckily, Setsuko-san saw him."

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Neji? Committing suicide?

'_Is he really in pain for him to commit a thing as serious as suicide?'_

Sasuke hugged the sobbing Sakura.

----

A.N.: Sorry if this chappie is kinda short but I really need to lessen my time with the computer since my vision is a little bit impaired now… my mom has noticed this and ordered me not to spend hours in front of a computer… sorry bout this guys and sorry about Neji if it makes you mad or something…

Read and review!

E.I.


	21. Chapter 21

A.N.: Thank you so much guys for those reviews! Your reviews serve as an inspiration to me and it also makes me EXTREMELY happy! Keep on reading and reviewing and thank you all for the support! MUWAH!

School is about to start this Monday and I think I'm going to finish this one first and then I'll continue my other story entitled 'Stellar Cascade"… it only has one chapter… but I promise I'll update that story…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Neji opened his eyes only to see everything in white. His left wrist felt painful and recollected all of his memories concerning what he just did.

'_Am… I dead?'_

He could hear some voices beside him but everything was still in a blur. When his eyes had adjusted and he would see clearly, he saw Ran, Naruto, Shikamaru and his mother beside him, all of them wearing worried expressions on their faces.

"Neji-kun! You okay?" Ran asked, running to his side. Neji closed his eyes for a while then reopened them once again. His head was throbbing as well.

"Wha—what happened?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

"What were you thinking! You almost died man!" Naruto hissed.

"You committed suicide but failed." Shikamaru replied calmly, but he was still worried. Neji blinked a few times then turned his head to the side only to see his mother crying out of happiness.

"Oh Neji! I'm so glad you're okay!" She wailed, hugging him. Neji winced in pain.

"Mom… that hurts." He mumbled, loud enough for his mother to hear it. His mother apologized as she let go of him and blew her nose on a piece of tissue in her hands. Neji sweat dropped anime style.

"You got us all worried Neji-kun!" Ran said, breathless. Neji's eyebrows met when he saw Ran and felt the urge to strangle her. She was the main reason, aside from Sakura, why he committed suicide!

Half of him was happy and thankful that his mom saved him and half of him was mad at his mother as well because she saved him (Get it?). He wanted to die yet he wanted to live. He was inwardly confused because of this… he didn't know what he wanted. To live or to die?

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Dude, you've been unconscious for about one day. We were all so worried. Your mom was the one who told us the news." Naruto said, pointing his mom with his thumb. Neji remembered his dad.

"Mom, where's dad?"

Setsuko smiled.

"He visited you earlier but he had to leave because he still has a meeting… he said you're so stupid… but I know your dad was worried. Any parent in its right mind would." Setsuko gave him a re assuring smile as Neji's grip on the blankets tightened in anger.

"Does Sakura know about this?" And with his question, Ran scowled.

"Don't think about that girl Neji-kun… I'm here!" Ran said happily as Naruto and Shikamaru gave her a glare.

'_Stupid woman… doesn't she know she's one of the reason why he did this!'_

Neji gave her a death glare.

"I DON'T NEED YOU! YOU'RE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DID THIS!" He yelled furiously as Shikamaru helped Neji sit up on his bed. Ran felt teary-eyed.

"I think it'll be prudent for you to leave Neji alone for now…" Naruto told her. Ran looked like she was just slapped in the face as she grabbed her purse from the table and stormed away, slamming the door shut. Naruto smirked.

"Neji… why do you have to do this? I mean, you can't get away from things just by committing suicide." Setsuko sat down on the chair that Shikamaru offered. Neji looked down as he clenched his fist. His hair covering his eyes.

"I didn't know what to do… I felt so helpless…" Neji whispered.

"And about your question earlier… I told Sakura-chan about this and I don't know what happened but it seems she has dropped the phone. After that, all I could hear was a male voice and her… sobbing."

"Male voice?" Naruto and Shikamaru echoed. Setsuko nodded as Neji's eyebrows met as he turned livid in anger.

'_Sasuke was in her house!'_

"What did the voice say?" Neji asked, turning to face his mother while looking furious.

"He called out Sakura's name and asked her if she would visit you but she said no… she won't visit you… I don't know what the reason is though because I decided to hang up." Setsuko said as Neji's eyes widened and looked away, wearing a pained expression.

"Now why won't Sakura visit him? It's not like she doesn't care of Neji anymore does she?" Naruto asked, confused as he placed his hands behind his head while staring blankly at the ceiling. Shikamaru fell deep in thought as he crossed his arms.

"Maybe because of Ran and your dad… maybe she doesn't want some trouble that's why she decided not to visit you." Shikamaru guessed. Neji looked at him.

----

"Sakura, you okay now?" Sasuke asked, sitting down beside Sakura in the couch. Sakura nodded. Her eyes were swollen and she was holding a tissue in her hand, her pink hair covered her eyes. Sasuke eyes the crumpled tissues in front of her.

'_Neji…? Why did you do this?'_

"If we would visit him, we would only make him feel worse…" Sakura sounded, her voice hoarse as she threw the tissue from her hand into the coffee table while leaning on the couch and gave out a heavy burdened sigh.

"What should we do then?"

"What we'll do? We'll do nothing." Sakura said, looking at him. Sasuke sighed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and made her lean her head on his shoulder. Sasuke rubbed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Sakura clenched Sasuke's shirt.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Sssh… Neji's going to be fine Sakura. I know him… he's strong. He would get over this soon." Sasuke whispered, kissing her fragrant hair. Sakura closed her eyes tightly.

"I feel so heavy Sasuke-kun… I think he did that because of me…" Sakura mumbled in his shirt.

"No he didn't. Maybe because of Ran."

"Ran?"

Sasuke nodded as he gave her a small smile.

"Ran… you know. He's going to be married to that bitch…" Sasuke said, feeling a deep weight fall upon his shoulders because Sakura was crying hysterically over Neji a few minutes ago. Hey… who could blame him? He was jealous.

----

Neji just couldn't feel any lower… Sakura and Sasuke are together, Sakura won't even bother visiting him… ARGH!

"Neji…?" His mom interrupted him from his train of thoughts. Neji turned as he faced his mother and noticed that she was wearing an enthusiastic and excited expression.

"Yes mom?"

"Don't worry dear… I know how to persuade your father for you not to marry Ran. Don't worry… okay? You won't be miserable for the rest of your life. Trust me." Setsuko said as she stood up and kissed his forehead before bidding good bye to Naruto and Shikamaru and left.

"What did she mean?" Neji mumbled to himself while eyeing the door.

"She's one heck of a mother. She's awesome!" Naruto said happily as he searched the bag of groceries that the servant carried earlier for him. After a few minutes of desperate searching, he slumped back at the couch with a disappointed face.

"Aww… no ramen."

"Baka, you do know that those foods are for Neji… not for you." Shikamaru whacked him in the head. Neji just smirked. At least, he has his friends who can cheer him up.

"You can ask for ramen at the guard outside. They will contact the servants and just bring it here." Neji said, pointing the door with his thumb. Two guards in black were standing like a statue outside the door for Neji's safety. Naruto jumped up and zoomed to the guards and practically yelled at them that he wanted some ramen.

Neji sighed.

"Damn, he's so rude." Neji cursed, as he caught the apple that Shikamaru just threw to him. He glanced at the apple and remembered the time when Sakura was in the hospital and both he and Sasuke freaked out when she ate the apple without even washing it.

"Sigh…"Neji absentmindedly took a bit and glanced at the window.

'_I wonder what she is doing right now… probably with Sasuke.'_

"Thinking of Sakura again?" Shikamaru asked, looking at the window as well. Neji took another bite and didn't even bother answering his question. Naruto sat down at the couch beside Shikamaru and found a bag of potato chips.

Neji eyed the bag of chips.

'_Those are the same kind of chips that I had given to Sakura when we were on top of a hill… damn… I always remember her! Come on Neji! Stop thinking about her! She's just making you feel worse! You got to move on!' _Neji thought to himself.

30 minutes later…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Naruto was the one who answered the phone as the servant angrily pushed the bag of ramen to him, bowed to Neji, and gave one last glare to Naruto before slamming the door shut. Neji chuckled.

"She's mad."

"YOSH! RAMEN!" Naruto yelled happily as he hurriedly walked towards the small kitchen and took out one cup of ramen. Shikamaru shook his head in annoyance while Neji continued to eat the apple and at the same time, watching Naruto with amusement.

"You're such an idiot."

"Eh?" Naruto turned his head.

"Nothing." Neji replied, taking another bite. Naruto went back to the couch and pulled out a pair of chopsticks and continued to eat noisily. Shikamaru stared at him in disgust.

"I think we should send you to a finishing school." Shikamaru suggested, inching away from Naruto. Neji smiled.

"Nah, his teacher would end up ripping her hair apart because of his idiocy. What he needs is some military training. THAT would work." Neji replied amusingly. Naruto stared at both of them with his mouth full of ramen and gave one great gulp.

"Military training? Tch. As if."

"Yeah Neji, even a general himself can't handle him. He's just too annoying, too hyper… too stupid… too…"

"Continue that and I'll punch you." Naruto warned gently, slurping some noodles.

"Who was the one whose ass got kicked back at the sparring match?" Neji asked, while taking another bite. Naruto glared at Shikamaru, who scratched his head in annoyance.

"Oh come on. Get over it. You've lost Naruto."

"Just wait." Naruto protested as he continued on eating. Shikamaru leaned on the couch as he closed his eyes while sighing in relief. Neji threw the apple at the nearby trash bin and drank a glass of water.

"Yo Naruto, give me one bag of chips." He called out as Naruto absentmindedly took out one bag of chips before throwing it to him. Neji mumbled a small 'thanks' before opening it.

---

Sakura was reading one of her favorite books in the living room, waiting for Sasuke to come out of her room. Sasuke decided to go home and he was currently changing.

When Sakura heard some footsteps coming down the stairs, she stood up and closed the book while eyeing the handsome raven-haired Uchiha. Sasuke gave her one of his genuine smiles before heading out to the door.

Sasuke stopped. Sakura looked over his shoulder to see why he stopped as her eyes widened.

"Setsuko-san!" Sakura gasped. Setsuko gave her a bow as she eyed Sasuke, who was standing like a statue.

"Good evening Sasuke-kun." Setsuko gave him a small bow as he nodded.

"Good evening." He replied quietly. Sakura went in front of him.

"Good evening Setsuko-san! What brings you here?" She asked happily. Setsuko gave her a bow and looked up at her.

"Good evening… Lady Sakura."

Sakura eyed her.

"W-What did you just call me?" Sakura asked, dumb founded. Setsuko smiled.

"Can I talk to both of you for a while? If that's okay…"

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other.

"S-Sure… come in Setsuko-san." Sakura said, stepping aside so that she could come in. Sasuke and Sakura followed suit as they sat down at the living room.

"But before that Setsuko-san—"

"No… don't call me Setsuko-san… just Setsuko…"

Sakura had a nervous expression on her face while Sasuke looked extremely puzzled.

'_What's up with the Lady Sakura thingy?'_

"Oookkaayyy… Setsuko… do you want tea? Soda? Lemonade? Juice?" She asked, standing up. Setsuko just raised her hand.

"No… no don't bother Lady Sakura… I'm fine." Setsuko replied… Sakura sat down. Setsuko gave another smile as she pulled out something from her bag and it was a thick folder. She reached it out to the nervous and puzzled Sakura as she opened it, with Sasuke looking at the folder as well.

After 40 seconds of reading… Sasuke went paler (if that's even possible) and Sakura gave a slight gasp.

"I know who you really are Lady Sakura. Why hide the truth?" Setsuko asked. Sasuke eyed Sakura with absolute shock.

"You're—a…"

"Setsuko… did you hack the main archives of the country just to find out my real identity? And may I ask what the reason is?" Sakura asked, giving her a worried glare.

"Sakura! Why didn't you tell me before!" Sasuke asked, completely horrified. Sakura faced him.

"I'm sorry about this Sasuke-kun but I have my reasons. I'm going to tell you later okay?" Sakura said as she tried to calm Sasuke down. If Sasuke had a heart problem, he would've had a heart attack already. This was too shocking.

"Yes I did hack the main archives… I want to find a way to stop Neji and Ran's marriage Lady Sakura… please… if you could just tell Hizashi-san about this… he could stop the wedding and maybe even let you replace Ran."

"Setsuko…"

Setsuko fell to her knees, placed both of her hands in front and bowed down as her forehead reached her hands. Sakura stood up.

"I beg you Lady Sakura. I don't want my Neji to become miserable for the rest of his life." She pleaded, already teary-eyed.

"Sakura… why did you hide this from us!" Sasuke asked, standing up as well.

"I'm sorry about this Sasuke-kun but there has been a problem between my grand father and my parents… I'll explain all the details later…"

"Does Ino and the others know?"

"No they don't. I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said, helping Setsuko sit up. Both of them were shocked to see Setsuko already sobbing.

"I beg you Lady Sakura… only you can cancel the marriage." Setsuko pleaded. Sakura looked at Sasuke worriedly as his expression relaxed a little bit. There was a long moment of silence until Sasuke broke the ice with a heavy sigh.

"Sakura, tell me… do you still love him? Don't worry… whatever your answer is, I would accept it. I just wanna know." Sasuke asked. Sakura looked down.

"I…"

"I want you to be happy Sakura. And if you're going to be happy with Neji, so be it." Sasuke said, kneeling down beside her and patting her head. Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Sasuke-kun… do… do you really mean it?"

"Yes I do. What's important is that you follow your heart… your heart wants Neji… not me." Sasuke said, giving her a gentle stare. Sakura became teary eyed as she hugged him.

"Thank you Sasuke-kun… thank you so much…"

'_I love you Sakura… that's why I'm doing this… even though it's extremely painful for me to do so…'_

"Sasuke-kun… you're so kind." Setsuko said, as Sasuke offered her a handkerchief.

"Come on. Let's go to Hizashi-san to cancel this marriage." Sasuke said, helping Setsuko stand up as Sakura stared at him in admiration.

'_Sasuke… you're so kind… you're willing to give up even your own love just for the sake of others…'_

"Setsuko?"

"Yes Lady Sakura?" Setsuko looked at her. Sakura gave her a smile.

"Could you go ahead to the car. I need some time alone with Sasuke for a while." Sakura asked as Setsuko nodded and left the house. Sasuke looked at her.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't believe you're doing this…"

"I love you Sakura… that's why I'm doing this…" Sasuke smiled at her before shoving his hands to his pockets. He can't bear looking at her right now. Everything was just too painful…

"At least I had you even just for a while…" He added, his voice merely inches from cracking. Sakura approached him and hugged him at his back…

"Sasuke-kun… you don't know how much this means to me… I'll be forever in your debt… thank you so much." She whispered, crying. Sasuke shut his eyes tightly to stop himself from crying as well. Uchiha Sasuke doesn't cry… and that's it.

"Even from the start, I knew you're just temporary in my life. I know I can't beat Neji… but Sakura, thank you for giving me the chance of loving you… even just for a while." Sasuke mumbled, loud enough for her to hear.

"But before I let you go… can I have one last kiss?" He asked, turning around. Sakura nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

Sasuke didn't want the kiss to end. Because after this, she would be gone…

Gone forever. And he won't be able to have her…

A tear ran down on his cheek.

When they finished, Sakura saw the tears forming in his eyes as she glanced at him worriedly. Sasuke held her hand.

"Before I let you go… I wanna say I love you and thank you very much… my Sakura… I hope you'll be happy for the rest of your life with Neji…" Sasuke said, as he bent down and kissed her forehead. Sakura gave him one last hug.

"Oh Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said.

After ten whole minutes… they let go of each other as Sasuke wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her a gentle smile.

"Come on, let's cancel this marriage." He said before wrapping his arms around her waist and headed to the door.

----

"What is she doing here?" Hizashi growled as Sakura entered the office with a brave expression on her face followed by Setsuko and Sasuke.

"Hizashi, I want you to cancel the marriage and let me replace Ran's place as Neji's bride." Sakura ordered. Hizashi gave a surprised glare.

"And who are you to order me around like that?" he asked, furious. Sasuke stepped up.

"Hizashi-san, Haruno Sakura is the only heir and grand daughter of the richest man in this country, Kobayashi Zaibatsu…"

-----

A.N.: Well that's it! You guys already know who Sakura really is but don't think that I'm going to end this story just like that… Ran is still around… Hmmm… I wonder what she'll do… And also, poor Sasuke… Sorry if this happened sasusaku fans but please understand that this is a nejiXsaku story… I'm so sorry if you're mad…

Read and review!

E.I.


	22. Chapter 22

A.N.: Hey guys, this story isn't over yet! I'm so sorry SasuXSaku fans but please understand that this is a NejiXSakura story… Don't worry guys, there's a wedding! And also, even after the marriage, Ran still won't give up (Talk about obsessed).

Ran: Hey! I'm SO not obsessed! I just love Neji!

Me: Tch. Whatever. Hey Sakura! How about this bridal gown? Cool or not cool?

Sakura: It's cool but I prefer the other one.

Ran: HEY! IS ANYONE EVEN LISTENING TO ME!

Sakura and Me: SHUT UP WILL YA!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

---

Hizashi stared at Sakura with extremely wide eyes.

"Y-You're Zaibatsu-sama's granddaughter!" He asked, purely horrified. Sakura clasped her hands together in order to hide the nervousness in her heart but failed at her attempt. She glanced at Sasuke who looked cool and stoic while Setsuko looked enthusiastic. Hizashi's face was priceless.

"The one and only." She replied calmly, beaming at him.

"If you don't believe us Hizashi-kun, here." Setsuko said as she slammed the folder right into his table. Hizashi eyed it, still surprised (and still horrified).

"Open it."

With a shaky hand, Hizashi obliged to his wife's request and started reading its contents. After a few minutes of reading and silence, he fell to his chair and turned livid in horror.

"She is the real one!" He gasped, standing up. Sakura nodded at him while Sasuke smirked in satisfaction. He absentmindedly shoved his hands to his pockets and eyed the nervous girl at the corner of his eye. The girl that he truly loves.

"She deserves an apology from you Hizashi-kun." Setsuko whispered to him. Hizashi nodded shakily in agreement as he straightened up his suit and swiftly walked towards the heiress. When he was in front of her, he gave an apologetic bow.

"I apologize for my rudeness Lady Sakura. I was unaware that you're Zaibatsu-sama's grand daughter." He said gently, his voice slightly shaking in embarrassment. Sakura eyed him.

"You've put your son into so much misery… are you even aware of that?" She said grimly.

"I'm so sorry Lady Sakura but I already made terms with her father. If the marriage would not continue, then there would be a clash between the two clans and all innocent family members would be included." Hizashi explained, straightening up. Sakura smiled.

"Don't worry about that Hizashi-san."

"Huh? What do you mean Lady Sakura?" He asked, completely confused. Setsuko and Sasuke were also confused and eyed the pink-haired girl.

"I paid the Suboshi family 1 billion yen just to cancel their marriage. I made her father to arrange Ran to another person. I assume she's extremely mad right now but she's not much of a threat… so there's nothing to be worth worrying about. If you don't believe me, Mr. Suboshi will be glad to tell you himself."

"What! 1—1 billion yen! That much?" Setsuko asked, flabbergasted. Sasuke's eyes were as big as saucers right now.

"No… I believe you Lady Sakura. Thank you for your kindness… The whole Hyuuga Clan will be forever in your debt."

"Oh no. No point going that far Hizashi. So, are you agreeing to my request?"

Hizashi gave her a big smile.

"Of course. I would be honored for you to become my daughter-in-law. Right Setsuko?" Hizashi beamed at Setsuko, who gave a large sigh of relief. Everything was going well… um… except for Sasuke that is.

"However, I still don't want to tell Neji until the day of the wedding. You know, just to surprise him." Sakura winked at them as Hizashi beckoned for them to sit on separate chairs and the servants served them tea afterwards. Setsuko giggled.

"You really like some suspense don't you?" Setsuko asked, smiling.

"You bet."

"Lady Sakura—"

"Hizashi-san, please, there's no need for you to call me in that name. Besides, I'm going to become your daughter-in-law. Sakura-chan is fine."

"Okay, Sakura-chan, if you don't mind me asking, isn't Sasuke-san your boy friend? Did you two break up?"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other.

"Um… yeah, you could call it a break up…" Sasuke mumbled, not knowing what to say.

"When Setsuko-san came at my house to plead… Sasuke asked me if who I loved more… he knew I loved Neji and he let go of me. He's so kind…"

"That's so bold of you Sasuke-san." Hizashi smiled at him.

"Thank you. I love Sakura that's why I did it." He mumbled in return, loud enough for the other three to hear it. Setsuko smiled.

"Don't worry Sasuke-san, you'll find someone soon." She re assured him. Sasuke only returned it with a gentle smile as he placed the tea cup on the table and turned to the three.

"If you'll excuse me, I still have some other matters to attend to. The tea was excellent Mr. And Mrs. Hyuuga. See you later Sakura and best wishes." Sasuke stood up as Sakura gave him a peck on the cheeks as a thank you. He then shook hands with Mr. Hyuuga and gave a small hug to Mrs. Hyuuga.

"Bye Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved goodbye as he nodded and closed the door. Sakura let out a sigh.

"He'll get over it someday Sakura-chan, don't feel so bad." Setsuko sat next to her and rubbed her hand on her back to comfort her future daughter-in-law. Sakura only gave her a small smile in return. After a few minutes of silence, Hizashi cleared his throat.

'_So he only did that for the sake of the Hyuuga Clan. Hizashi isn't that bad after all.'_

"So Setsuko, you were finding a way on how to make Sakura-chan as the bride instead?" Hizashi asked, with an amused expression on his face. Setsuko sweat dropped as she gave a slight cough.

"Um—I just can't bear seeing my son in so much misery." She replied nonchalantly. Sakura giggled.

"So Setsuko-san, when is Neji going to be released from the hospital?" Sakura asked, sipping some tea.

"Hmm… maybe tomorrow afternoon. Do you wanna meet him?"

"Nope. I told you that I want it to be a surprise. And besides, I'm going to Europe to go to my grand pa and talk to him. He deserves to know that I'm going to get married."

"Well then, I'll tell your adviser that you'll be absent."

"And I'll come with Sakura-chan so that I could talk to Zaibatsu-sama one-on-one." Hizashi said, smiling at them. Sakura smiled then nodded.

"Thank you Hizashi-san. We'll be leaving by a private jet tomorrow morning about eight." Sakura replied coolly. Hizashi nodded and asked for his secretary to cancel all of his appointments tomorrow. Setsuko called her principal and told her that Neji and Sakura would be absent for a few days.

After thirty minutes, Sakura stared at the window and surveyed the scenery outside. The Hyuuga gardens were huge and beautiful.

"Beautiful isn't it? I designed it myself." Setsuko walked towards her side.

"Really?"

"Yep. Took me about five years though. But everything turned out fine." Setsuko winked at her as she gave Sakura a glass of red wine. After a few minutes of watching the scenery, Setsuko cleared her throat and turned to Sakura.

"So, when are you going to find your bridal gown huh Sakura-chan?"

Sakura fell deep in thought.

"Hmm… I don't know. My friends still don't know who I really am and I think I'm going to tell them when I arrive back here the next day… then you could come with us to search for my bridal if you're not busy that is… I don't want to wear a bridal gown that was chosen by that…"

"Whore?"

"Hmm… too strong. How about bitch?" She grinned. Setsuko gave out a whole-hearted laugh.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Seems you two are having fun." Hizashi smiled at them while sitting down on his reclining chair and leaned on it, crossing his feet on the table.

"Hey, give me a grand child as fast as possible okay? I really miss taking care of a baby." Setsuko sighed dreamily and wondered how her grand children will look like. Hizashi smiled.

"I know that they're going to look as handsome as their grand pa."

Setsuko glared at him. Sakura grinned.

"Uh! As HANDSOME! Excuse me but I think that they're going to gain their looks from their GRAND MOTHER. And they're going to inherit MY wits and intelligence as well." She argued. Hizashi grinned in return.

"Wits and intelligence? Oh come on, I'm much more intelligent than you."

And they continued arguing. Sakura just laughed every now and then at the cute couple. Even though that they had been married for many years, still, they're still affectionate for each other, and that's something worth to be admiring about.

----

Neji stared at the window outside and wondered why her mother isn't back yet. She promised to be back soon and it was already night time. Naruto was lying on the couch while snoring loudly and Shikamaru was asleep in a sitting position on the other one.

"Damn, he snores so loud. I wonder how his wife could endure that." He mumbled to himself while watching his friends. Naruto proceeded to scratch his head and turned to the other direction, falling from the couch in the process. Neji snickered. And he didn't even wake up!

'_What a heavy sleeper!'_

"Oh come on Ino, please marry me." He heard Shikamaru mumble.

Neji blinked.

"Ino?"

He burst out laughing. Another discovery!

'_So Shikamaru likes Ino eh! Ha! I can now blackmail that lazy ass! Maybe I could even help him. Ino seems to be interested with him as well… well, since that sparring match that is. And Naruto…? Hmm… he said he's over with Sakura… so who's his crush now?'_

"Hmm… Hinata-chan! Kiss me!" Naruto practically yelled while thrashing his arms around. Neji stared at him in stupefaction.

'_YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HINATA AND NARUTO!'_

And for the second time, he laughed to himself. God, laughing never felt so great…

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in."

Setsuko came in wearing a large smile on her face but disappeared when she saw someone sleeping on the floor. Neji grinned.

"What? How did he get there!" She gasped, running towards him.

"Don't worry about him mom, he tends to do that often. So, what took you so long?" Neji asked, and kissed her on the cheek. Setsuko placed some fresh flowers on the vase while humming happily.

"Let's just say something incredible and miraculous just happened earlier…" She replied sprightly as Neji eyed her in confusion.

"What is that incredible and miraculous event?"

"It's a surprise. You'll find out soon enough. Anyway, you'll be released by tomorrow and you're going to have one day rest then you'll try to fit your suit for the wedding okay?"

Neji scowled.

"Yeah… sure."

"Don't worry Neji. It's not going to be THAT bad. Believe me." Setsuko winked at him. Neji just stared at his mother's weird antics but decided to ignore it.

"Bad? I'm going to marry the woman I purely hate and it's not BAD?"

"Nope! Oh stop complaining! And I don't want to see you bleeding again in your room okay? Don't commit suicide ever again. You already gave me a hell of a shock a few days ago." Setsuko said sternly at him. Neji sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Whatever."

"Promise me okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I promise." He replied dully.

"That's better!"

----

Sakura sighed as she dropped herself into her bed. She stared at the ceiling while contemplating on the events that just happened today. She couldn't believe that this morning, she was kissing Sasuke and by night, they broke up…

"Hn."

Okay, now she got Sasuke's 'Hn.' Virus.

"I wonder what he means by that… I mean, it could be yes or no or you're annoying or whatever or maybe or shut the hell up big forehead girl…" Sakura started to mumble to herself. Another thing she couldn't believe was that she's going to get married!

'_And I'm still sixteen! Oh well…'_

And she's going to get married to Hyuuga Neji, a man she thought she had lost forever.

"Wait, didn't he break up with me because of Ran? He sure has a lot of explaining to do at the reception." Sakura giggled to herself. Whatever the reason maybe, she was positive that Neji would be glad to get married to her.

'_I wonder what Sasuke or Neji is doing right now.'_

Sasuke…

"Dammit. Stop yelling conscience. I can already hear you." Okay, she was growing a little bit paranoid but just a little bit. Nothing serious if that's what you're implying.

She wondered what the wedding or her gown would look like. She wondered how Ino and the others would react if they would know that Sakura's a multi-billionaire heiress. She wondered if she's going to be happy for the rest of her life… she wondered…

"Argh! Stop wondering!"

----

Sasuke stopped as he folded his roof and stared at the scenery in front of him. He was currently in the hill where Neji took Sakura when she was still crying for her parents. Yep, he knew about it.

"Sigh…"

He slammed his hand on the wheel as he groaned in annoyance while resting his head on his left hand. He thought that Sakura was finally going to be his but he was wrong. However, he already knew he was just temporary so his heart was already prepared for this situation.

'_Good thing I already prepared myself.'_

He imagined Neji and Sakura's wedding. Neji kissing Sakura and the audience cheering for them while he was just standing on a lone corner, watching the woman he truly loves and his best friend get married. Hmm… it's bittersweet.

"Tch."

Could he really find someone that could replace Sakura? Is there such a woman?

----

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ran's voice echoed throughout the whole Suboshi manor.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU EVEN AGREE DAD!" She screeched, extremely furious. Her dad stared at her angrily.

"I WON'T TOLERATE SUCH ACTIONS FROM YOU RAN! YELL AT ME AGAIN AND I SWEAR THAT I WOULD STIRP YOU OFF THE FAMILY!" Her father yelled back, equally mad. Ran angrily sat down on her chair and crossed her arms, trying to calm herself down.

"Do you even think that I can overpower Haruno Sakura!"

"What?" Ran looked up, confused.

"Haruno Sakura. The grand daughter of Zaibatsu-sama!"

"WHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTT!"

"STOP YELLING! YOU'RE MAKING ME DEAF!" Her dad slammed his hand on the table, instantly silencing his spoiled and big mouthed daughter. Ran stared at him with eyes as big as saucers.

"There must be some kind of a mistake! SHE'S the grand daughter of Kobayashi Zaibatsu!" Ran asked, extremely flabbergasted.

How could THAT low class girl become a multi-billionaire heiress! Yeah, she looks like a rich girl but why live a normal life? She just doesn't get it…

"That explains why she's so good at martial arts!" She whispered to herself. If she's really rich, then she could pay the best martial arts trainer. Even better than HER trainer…

'_That could explain why she won!'_

"But how! I researched about her and I didn't find anything that connected her to Zaibatsu-sama!" She wailed, stomping her foot at the red expensive carpet. Her father gave her a confused stare.

"You researched Sakura-sama's bio?"

"Uh... yeah…" Ran twiddled her fingers together.

"Why the heck did you do that?"

"Um… I wanna know who she really is! She beat me back at the sparring match and I got intrigued! I asked two guys to research for her and they just said that she's a normal person…"

"Her main bio is in the main archives of the country. It is highly secured that's why only registered people like me are allowed to see it. You're such an idiot… you know that? Anyway, I'm going to arrange you to Riu Amoriyama…"

"WHAT! TO RIU!" Ran yelled again.

Riu Amoriyama is a handsome and slightly geeky (to Ran's opinion) and he is a year older than her. His father is a great friend of Ran's father and he's currently studying abroad. He has bluish hair and electric blue eyes…

"Riu's a good man."

'_Good man in your face! He has sexual lust on me!'_

"Expect me to have your grand son even before the marriage. Dad, you are fully aware that Riu has lust on me! He almost raped me once!"

"He didn't RAPE you… he was just asking for it."

"That doesn't change anything. He's just a jerk." Ran stood up angrily and stormed out of the office. She stomped towards her car, clambered in and turned the engine on while staring angrily at the road in front of her.

'_Just wait Haruno Sakura! NEJI WOULD BE MINE! MINE YOU HEAR!'_

She stepped on the accelerator and zoomed towards God knows where.

"I swear I'll gain revenge… and have Neji at the same time!"

----

A.N.: Ooh, someone's mad. Lol. I wonder what she'll do to Sakura…

Read and review!

E.I.


	23. Chapter 23

A.N.: Thanks to those who have reviewed!

Ran: HARUNO SAKURAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I'LL GET YOU!

Sakura: AAHHHH! MY EARS!

Sasuke: HEY YOU TWO! STOP SCREAMING WOULD YOU!

Ran and Sakura: Sorry.

Neji comes in the room.

Ran: NEJI KUNNNNN!

Neji: AAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!

Me: WOULD EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP! I'M CONCENTRATING HEEEEERRRRREEEE! (Resumes typing on the computer while wearing a scowl)

Everyone: Sorry.

Me: Thank you. Okay guys, I now know that I got the Hyuuga wrong… it's supposed to be spelled with one 'u' only. So its correct spelling is 'Hyuga'.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-----

Sakura and Hizashi arrived at Zaibatsu's house…err… mansion… as the servants greeted them and bowed. Hizashi and Sakura sat down on the living room as Sakura ordered one servant to call for her grand father.

After a few minutes, a man dressed in a tan suit appeared while holding an expensive looking cane. He had a bald spot on his head and his head was grayish white. He looked extremely strict and you would instantly notice one ring on his left hand with a huge onyx stone in it.

When he saw Sakura, his scowl turned into an instant smile.

"My Sakura!"

"Grand pa! So nice to see you again!" Sakura ran to her grand pa's outstretched arms and gave each other a big hug. Hizashi smiled when Zaibatsu looked at him.

"Good morning Zaibatsu-sama. Glad to see you're in great condition." He bowed. The two let go of each other as he nodded at Hizashi then turned to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, why is Hizashi with you?" He asked, motioning Hizashi to sit down as he and Sakura slowly went to the couch. Sakura helped him sit down on one individual couch and sat beside Hizashi afterwards while wearing a big smile.

"Grand pa, Hizashi-san wants to tell you something important." Sakura told him gently. Zaibatsu raised a perfect eyebrow.

"Important? What is it then Hizashi?"

Sakura and Hizashi looked at each other as Sakura nodded at him. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Zaibatsu-sama, Lady Sakura is studying on the same school as my son's… so… they met each other and…" Hizashi remembered that Sakura told him that he shouldn't tell Zaibatsu concerning Sakura's 'poor girl' act or Zaibatsu would be furious.

"And?"

"Neji is the name of his son grand pa and he was the one, aside from Uchiha Sasuke that comforted me when mom and dad died."

"Ah, yes. I saw him coming into your room when I visited you. That's why he looked so familiar. And who was that other one again? Uchiha Sasuke?"

"Yep. Remember the Uchiha family? He's the son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto."

"Ah! Yes, yes… I remember those two. Good lads."

Sakura nodded.

"And grand pa, um… how can I put this together… um… I… I fell in love with Hyuuga Neji… and…" Sakura stammered, trying to find a perfect sentence to tell her grand father. Her grand father's eyebrows met.

"You fell in love with Hizashi's son?"

"Yes she did. And Neji was also in love with her Zaibatsu-sama." Hizashi added, getting nervous by the second. You couldn't easily tell what Zaibatsu is thinking. He could be pretty unpredictable… and pretty scary too.

"How long have you and Neji been dating?" He asked, this time his voice was colder. Uh-oh, bad sign. VERY bad sign.

"For a few months until Neji placed a forced break up on us because of Ran Suboshi. She tried to break us apart but I already took care of her…"

"Suboshi?" Zaibatsu echoed.

"Yes Ran Suboshi. The heiress to the Crimson Gang."

"That girl? Did she hurt you?" Zaibatsu snapped, this time he looked DEAD serious. Sakura and Hizashi looked at each other.

"Um… no. But grand pa, um… can I ask you one teeny weenie question?" Sakura asked sweetly. Zaibatsu looked at her with questioning eyes.

"What is it?"

Sakura gulped. Here goes everything.

"You're going to ask me if I'm in favor of Hyuga Neji… am I right?"

Sakura and Hizashi blinked.

"Um… How did you know grand pa?" Sakura asked, her heart was now pounding painfully at her chest and Hizashi had a thin film of sweat on his face. There was a lot of tension around them until Zaibatsu smiled.

"You're my grand daughter. I know what you want." He replied gently. Sakura's hopes rose to an even higher level.

"So… is it okay for me and Neji to get married!"

Zaibatsu looked at her.

"No."

Sakura's hope level turned to zero. Hizashi's smile slowly faded.

"But why Zaibatsu-sama? Neji is a good man and he could take care of Sakura-chan." Hizashi protested in a calm voice. Sakura nodded in agreement. Zaibatsu smirked.

"I didn't say that I'm not in favor of Neji."

"Then what is it grand pa!"

Zaibatsu sighed.

"It's just that it's just too early for you two to get married… why don't you take things slowly and find out if you two could really spend the rest of your lives together…? I mean, maybe after two years of dating you could finally see your differences and maybe you two would even break up… You may never know what will happen. If you'll turn eighteen and if you and Neji are still going strong then I'm going to settle the marriage immediately." Zaibatsu smiled. He was absolutely right.

'_So he's going to test their relationship. He really is an intelligent man.'_

Sakura hugged him.

"Oh thank you grand pa!"

"Your welcome sugar-face. Where is the young man anyway?" He asked, as Sakura sat down. Hizashi frowned.

"He's resting at our mansion Zaibatsu-sama. He had… had an illness." He lied. If he would tell Zaibatsu that he almost committed suicide, then Zaibatsu would think that Neji is a weak guy. But he was extremely relieved about Zaibatsu's decision.

"An illness? What illness?"

"A fever. Yeah, that's it." Sakura replied.

"Oh. Then could you tell Neji for me to get well soon?" He asked Hizashi as he nodded. Zaibatsu then turned to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I'm not going to turn over the fortune to you at the time of my death."

Hizashi and Sakura stared at him.

"Why?"

"I can't wait for that time so I'm going to pass it over to you when you reach eighteen. Is that okay? I'm growing tired and I'm foreseeing a relaxing retirement on the Mediterranean." He sighed inwardly. Sakura's mouth fell open.

"You mean I'm going to take over the whole family business when I'm going to reach eighteen!"

"Why? Can't you handle it?"

Sakura smiled.

"No… it's fine."

"Then it's settled. Hizashi, is the company okay?" He asked Hizashi thoughtfully, who nodded.

"Everything's fine Zaibatsu-sama."

Zaibatsu nodded.

"And also, could I ask one favor from you Hizashi? If that's okay…"

"Anything Zaibatsu-sama."

"Could you take care of my little—"

"I am SO not little." Sakura snapped. Zaibatsu grinned.

"Okay my big Sakura-chan here? Like her guardian or something… because she's quite mischievous and could be really stupid sometimes. She always gets into trouble."

"Grand pa!"

Hizashi chuckled.

"Of course Zaibatsu-sama. I would be honored."

"Thank you Hizashi… I owe you one. And I'm giving you the authority to scold her if she did anything wrong. Remember that she has a curfew."

Sakura scowled.

'_I'm fine by myself thank you!'_

"She could even live at my mansion because it would be quite dangerous for her to live alone in her house." Hizashi looked at Sakura as though asking for her permission. Sakura sighed.

"I like my house just fine, thank you."

"Of course, at least she would be safe and have some time with your son." He chuckled.

"But what if Neji and I break up?"

"Then we'll try to get you two back again. It won't be THAT hard…" Hizashi replied coolly. Zaibatsu nodded in agreement.

"Sakura, you should treat Hizashi like your real father from now on. He has every right to yell at you whenever it is needed you understand?"

"Yes grand pa." Sakura replied lamely.

"Are you sure it's fine with you Hizashi?"

"It's fine. Setsuko would be happy to hear about this. She and Sakura are like best friends." Hizashi replied making Sakura smile. Hizashi turned to look at Sakura.

"I'm going to be your father-in-law soon… so better get used to it." Hizashi winked at her. Sakura chuckled.

"You got a point."

"That's good. I'm entrusting you my Sakura, Hizashi."

"Count on me Zaibatsu-sama." He and Zaibatsu stood up and shook hands. Soon, Sakura and Hizashi bid good bye as they clambered on the limousine and off to the air port to go back home.

----

When Sakura came back home, she lazily went up to her bedroom and dropped herself into her bed, sighing deeply.

'_I still have to tell Ino and the others. Oh man, I should prepare my ear plugs.'_

Sakura called Ino on the phone.

---

Ino, Tenten, Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru and even Sasuke arrived at her house after one hour. They all sat on the living room as she served them with juice.

"Sakura, what is this about?" Ino asked, drinking some juice. Sakura sat down and looked at Sasuke, who nodded. Tenten looked at Sakura, then at Sasuke then back at Sakura.

"Is there something going on here that we don't know?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow. Sakura took a deep breath and made sure her ear plugs were in tact. She's expecting for Ino or Naruto or Tenten to shout at her.

"Guys, I'm not the Haruno Sakura that you think I am." She started.

Everyone (except Sasuke) blinked.

"What do you mean? You're Haruno Sakura…" Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Gasp! YOU'RE AN IMPOSTER!"

WHAM!

"THAT WAS JUST A STUPID STATEMENT BAKA!" Sakura yelled furiously at him.

"What do you mean Sakura?" Ino asked in a serious tone. Sakura blinked. This was the first time Ino has been serious with anything. Sasuke just sat on an individual couch, his head resting on one hand while staring at the others with an interested expression.

"Sakura's a multi-billionaire heiress." Sasuke said out of the blue. Everyone turned to him.

"SHE'S A WHAT!" Ino yelled.

"Sakura! Does Sasuke know anything about this?" Shikamaru asked.

"He knows everything about me." Sakura replied.

"B-But how can THAT be? I mean, look at her! She's living a simple and average life!" Tenten was confused as ever. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Look, Sakura's mom was in love with her dad and her grand pa didn't approve of them so he exiled them from the clan. That explains why she's living in one small house." Sasuke started to explain for her. Ino looked at Sakura.

"How could you hide something like this Sakura!"

"Who is Sakura's grand father?" Hinata asked.

"Kobayashi Zaibatsu." Sakura replied, sighing.

Dead Silence…

"WHAT!" Shikamaru screamed. The other four looked at him.

"Eh? Shika, you know Sakura's grand pa?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru looked at her.

"Kobayashi Zaibatsu is YOUR grand father!"

"SHIKAMARU! TELL US WHO THAT GUY IS WILL YA!" Ino screeched furiously at him. Shikamaru looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"Don't you guys know? Kobayashi Zaibatsu is the richest man in the country!"

"WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Ino and Naruto yelled at the same time. Sasuke had to cover his ears to avoid going deaf. Sakura bowed her head down.

"Sakura! Why did you hide this from us?" Tenten asked, flabbergasted.

"I'm so sorry guys but I thought that even I was exiled from my family. But then, when I was still confined in the hospital, he asked an apology and asked me if I want to be his grand daughter again. Of course, I agreed. I was just trying to find the right time to tell you guys about this but I have been terribly busy." Sakura explained, teary-eyed.

"You don't smell like you're stinking rich." Ino sat down, trying to calm herself.

"I'm so sorry about this guys."

"But how did Sasuke know about this?" Hinata asked.

And Sasuke and Sakura explained to them what happened about Setsuko's pleading. When they finished, everyone fell silent. It took ten whole minutes before one of them spoke up.

"So… can you buy a jet?" Tenten asked. Ino's eyes began to sparkle.

"Yep."

"A… whole building?"

"Ah-huh."

"Look forehead girl. We're going to forgive you for lying to us like this in one condition." Ino said, and inside, she was bubbling with joy. Her best friend was a multi-billionaire!

"Anything!" Sakura yelled happily.

"You're going to buy everything we want for one whole week." Tenten said as everyone nodded in agreement, except Sasuke, who was texting something on his cell phone.

"Of course!"

----

A.N.: WIPEE! SHE TOLD THEM ALREADY! Please review!

E.I.


	24. Chapter 24

A.N.: Sorry if I haven't updated for a long time guys because I had been terribly busy and I'm rushing my stories a bit because I have tons of school work to do and besides, my dad now forbids me to use the computer every night and I could only use it twice a week. HUHUHU!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

---

At the mall…

Okay now, there are about ten guards following them while carrying ALL of their shopping bags. There were about twenty of them already. And Sakura wasn't complaining one bit.

"OOH!" Ino yelled happily while entering a shop. Naruto and the guys separated from them carrying Sakura's platinum credit card with glee. Even Sasuke had something in mind that he'd been DYING to buy. Wonder what that is… But one thing is for sure: it is something extremely expensive.

And Ino was buying almost everything that she sees. Tenten and Hinata were having fun as well. And the guards looked stoic but it was obvious that they were having some difficulty carrying all those bags.

"Ino, just tell me if you want to buy the whole mall. My feet are starting to hurt." Sakura complained, pointing her high heeled sandals. Ino glared at her.

"It's your fault why you chose to wear that one today."

"Sakura-chan, you could just buy some flats at the other shop." Hinata suggested while pointing a shoe shop nearby. Sakura nodded and left.

She came back a few minutes later wearing green flip flops and when she arrived, she could already see Ino taking a large paper bag from the cashier.

After a while, they exited the store. Sakura checked her wrist watch.

"Let's eat lunch."

"Thank God." Tenten sighed, rubbing her stomach. Ino was summarizing all the things that she still wants to buy while heading to a casual restaurant. Hinata was of course, talking to Tenten about food because she too was hungry. Sakura whipped out her cell phone and started texting.

"Who are you texting Sakura?" Ino asked as they occupied one table.

"Sasuke." She replied absentmindedly. "They're going to arrive at about ten minutes or so, judging from Naruto's speed when it comes to hearing words like 'food'. Damn, I'm still wondering why he isn't like Chouji with an appetite like that."

"He has high metabolism." Hinata replied.

"You really do know everything about him, ne Hinata?" Ino asked sheepishly while nudging her. Tenten was seated beside Sakura and there were four extra seats. The guards stayed on one large table and they looked extremely relieved (they're also going to eat).

"Not exactly." She blushed.

"So Sakura, pray tell us how you're going to tell all of this to your… fiancée?" Tenten asked her while raising an eyebrow. Sakura cleared her throat.

"Hmm… how about… Neji… I'm sorry for lying… I'm really the granddaughter of Kobayashi Zaibatsu…" Sakura said thoughtfully.

"Wow. What a great thing to say." Ino said sarcastically.

"You should approach him in a slower mode Sakura. You know, like an indirect attack?" Tenten suggested as the waiter served them with menus. When they were done ordering, the waiter headed to the guards to get their orders as well.

"Neji would know if I'm lying or not and he has that thing of wanting to do things immediately. Indirect attacks are useless when it comes to him." Sakura remarked. Hinata nodded in agreement.

"And how about you being his fiancée?"

"Oh don't worry about it guys, I know how to tell him." Sakura said, sighing while waving her hand. Tenten and Ino looked at each other.

"And when are you going to tell him?"

"Hmmm…" Sakura tapped her chin. "How about tonight?"

"That's good. The earlier the better…" Ino nodded.

"Poor Sasuke. That thing must be hard for him. But I admire him for what he did though." Sakura sighed making Ino scowl.

"Well, look at what love can do. Maybe his Ms. Right is still round the corner… waiting for him. Anyway, are you still going to live at your house Sakura? I mean, that house is WAY too small for a multi-billionaire like you." Tenten sipped some water.

"Dang, I still can't believe she's a multi-billionaire." Ino shook her head. Hinata chuckled.

"Sakura-chan, you're such a great actress. You fooled us into thinking that you're an average girl. I congratulate you for that."

Sakura gave a nervous laugh.

"About my house, I'm going to transfer to Neji's house."

Dead Silence…

"You mean you're going to live WITH Neji?" Ino asked, flabbergasted. Sakura looked at her.

"Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

"But they're not staying in one room if that's what you guys think." Hinata remarked. Tenten had her mouth open.

"When are you going to transfer and what's going to happen to your house?" Tenten asked, trying to digest the information unto her brain. Look at how lucky Sakura is.

"I'm going to transfer the next day since I'm going to tell of it tonight. And about the house, I dunno. Grandpa said that he would be the one to take care of it but I asked him not to demolish it… the house has a sentimental value on me."

"What about Ran? I haven't seen her for a while now." Hinata said.

"Maybe she fell into a cliff while driving and her body was never found!" Tenten chirped happily. Ino nodded.

"Or maybe she was assassinated because of what she did to Sakura!" Ino suggested. Sakura burst out laughing while Hinata just smiled.

"Oh I wish she was dead." Ino sighed.

"Let's not talk about her. She's been an albatross around my neck for ages now and all I want now is to have a peaceful life with you guys and of course, with Neji. She won't be able to harm me because Hizashi-san and Setsuko-san are guarding me." Sakura said.

"Hey, hey! When IS the wedding anyway?" Ino asked enthusiastically.

"Hmm… we'll think about that later. But don't worry; we'll pick my bridal gown together!" Sakura said happily.

"We're here!" Naruto yelled as the girls turned at them and found the three of them carrying about ten shopping bags all in all. But their size isn't as big as the girls' bags. Sasuke sat beside Sakura while Shikamaru and Naruto sat beside Hinata. The extra seat was placed with their shopping bags.

"What did you guys buy?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

"Naruto bought some computer games. And Shikamaru bought some… books. Then we shopped for some shirts."

"What was that thing that you were dying to buy Sasuke?" Tenten asked. Sasuke smirked as he showed a key.

"A key?" Tenten and Ino chorused.

"He bought a brand new car. Highly expensive." Shikamaru said lazily while crossing his arms. Naruto nodded in agreement and told them he bought one too. But not as expensive as Sasuke's car though.

"How much?" Hinata asked.

"Twenty." Sasuke replied, taking the menu from the waiter.

"Thousand?" Ino asked him. Sakura shook her head and smiled.

"Knowing him, it costs about twenty million." She said as Sasuke smiled and nodded. Ino and Tenten gaped at the information while Hinata had her eyes wide. Shikamaru and Naruto ordered as well (Naruto ordered about five dishes).

"A car worth twenty million?"

"Yep." He nodded, leaning on his chair. Sasuke loved cars, that is Sakura's number one thing that she noticed on him.

"Hey Sakura! Shikamaru and I were thinking, how about a cruise eh? You know, somewhat like a bridal shower and a stag party!" Naruto suggested. Ino and Hinata looked at each other with bright faces while Tenten gave Sakura some puppy eyes.

"That's a great idea Naruto. I'll settle that right away. I'll call you guys when and where." She said as everyone (except Sasuke) cheered. He was just smiling. Ino started blabbering on what to wear on that cruise.

----

By night…

Neji was reading something while sitting on his bed. He was in bed for the whole day since his mother insisted him on having some rest.

He glanced at his bandaged wrist and scowled. Soon, he sighed for the umpteenth time this day. Whenever he remembers why he did that, he wanted to do it again. Just thinking of growing old with Ran makes him want to gawk.

"What's that sigh about?" someone said as he looked up.

"Sa—Sakura?" Neji asked, stupefied. Sakura smiled as she closed the door. The only light on the room was the two table lamps on Neji's bed side table. She walked towards him with a big smile on her face. Neji was confused.

"How… how did you get in here?" He asked, trying to make his voice calm.

"I missed you… you know that?" Sakura sat beside him. Neji held up his hand and caressed her cheek to make sure that everything was real. Sakura held his hand. When Neji was sure that she was real, he moved and hugged her.

"I missed you too."

Sakura smiled.

"But aren't you supposed to be with Sasuke right now?" Neji let go of her, wearing a frown. Sakura's smile grew even brighter. She budged and moved closer to him.

"I need to tell you something." She said and Neji opened his mouth to speak but Sakura pressed two fingers on his lips.

"Sssh… listen first okay?" She asked gently while removing her fingers. Neji nodded. Sakura looked down and intertwined her hand with him.

"Neji… first, I want to apologize…"

"…"

"I lied to you about my identity… I'm… I'm not really an average girl."

"What?"

"Remember the time when you went to my room and saw Kobayashi Zaibatsu coming out?" She asked as he nodded.

"What about him?"

A moment of silence…

"He's… he's my grand father." Sakura said. Neji's eyes widened as he gasped a little bit. His grip on Sakura's hand grew even tighter.

"Sakura, what do you mean? You mean you're… rich?"

She nodded.

"I'm so sorry Neji. You see, my mom… she's the rich one. She fell in love with my dad, who is an average person but my grand father didn't like him so he exiled them from the clan. That's why they live on a small house."

"…"

"But then, when they died, my grand father apologized and re entered me into my clan. I am his only grand daughter making me the only heir to the Kobayashi fortune… I didn't even know at first and I was kinda shocked when he told me the truth."

Neji turned livid in shock. Sakura looked on his other hand and saw the bandaged wrist. She reached out for it and took off the bandage. She saw a reddish clot on the wound and started to cry.

"Your mom, she was the one who came into my house and pleaded for me to go back to you." She said, tears falling on his wound. Neji didn't know what to say.

"And Sasuke, he knew I still loved you and he let go of me. He even helped me explain things to your father."

That was something that deeply shocked Neji.

"Sasuke…? He… he did that?"

Sakura nodded but her head was still bowed down.

"When I heard you commit suicide, I felt like… I don't know… I felt scared. And he was there. He knew I was hurt and he knew that I loved you more than him." She said, her voice cracking.

"…"

"And I told your father about me. I made him stop the arrangement and paid Ran's dad for her to be arranged to someone else instead… and he… he agreed. We even went to my grand father to ask permission."

"What did he say?"

Sakura looked up at him with tear-strained eyes.

"He agreed to you. But he won't let us get married. He's testing us whether we could last till we're eighteen or so… Then grand father asked your father to be my guardian here and your father even offered me to stay in your house."

Neji couldn't believe it. A large weight had lifted off his shoulders and he felt extremely relieved hearing all of this. It was like a dream come true. He was speechless at the moment and all he could do was hug her really tight.

"Thank you Kami-sama… Thank you." He whispered.

"I love you Neji." Sakura whispered to him. Neji smiled.

"I love you too…"

"Aww…that's so sweet." Someone said from the door as they separated and looked at the door and saw Setsuko and Hizashi standing while wearing bright faces.

"Reminds me of us when we were young, ne Setsuko?" Hizashi asked, hugging his wife from behind. Setsuko giggled.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Good evening Setsuko-san, Hizashi-san." Sakura greeted them with a grin. Setsuko and Hizashi smiled as they entered the room. Setsuko sat down beside Sakura and leaned on one hand while Hizashi leaned on one of the bed posts.

"Welcome to the family dear. And you could call us mom and dad too. Setsuko-san and Hizashi-san would sound like you're a stranger or something." Setsuko winked at Sakura and gave her a hug. Everything was perfect.

"Now Neji, get up and take a bath. We're going to eat out with your cousins and your uncle okay?" Setsuko said as Sakura stood up with her. Neji nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right there in twenty minutes."

Sakura gave him one last smile before leaving. When the door closed, Neji grabbed his pillow and screamed on it in happiness. He was so happy. He never felt happier in years.

"Damn! I love this day!" He said, standing up while stretching his arms.

Later…

"Congratulations to the engaged couple!" Hizashi raised his cup as everyone raised theirs as well. Even Neji and Sakura.

"Cheers!"

"I can't wait to see my future grand children." Neji heard his father mumble as he turned red.

"Dad!" He hissed.

"What? It's true." He said with an innocent face. Neji shook his head and glanced at his fiancée. She looked extremely beautiful tonight especially with that smile on her face. They were holding hands under the table.

"Take a picture. It will last longer." Sakura looked at him at the corner of her eye. Neji grinned.

"Nah, I have my whole life to stare at you."

Sakura chuckled.

"Ooh, you two are so cute!" Hanabi teased them.

"Hanabi!" Hiashi snapped at her. Hanabi looked at him.

"What? It's true!"

Hinata chuckled.

"It's okay dad." Hinata re assured him. Sakura made Hizashi and Hiashi together as brothers again and the Hyuuga clan is once again, peaceful. Thanks to her.

"Uncle Hiashi?" Sakura called out.

"Yeah?"

"What if you'll know that Hinata-chan has a crush on someone?" Sakura asked while staring at the extremely shocked Hinata. Neji's grin grew even wider.

"She has?" Hinata's mom said brightly.

"What!" Hiashi hissed.

"Now, now Hiashi, no need to get mad. Hinata is old enough to take care of herself. And besides, having a crush is just normal for these teens. Look at Neji and Sakura, they're already engaged at such a young age." Setsuko said.

"Who is that man then Hinata-chan?" Hizashi asked, grinning at the expression of his twin brother.

"None other than Uzumaki Naruto!" Hanabi yelled happily.

"Hanabi! How did you know!" Hinata hissed as Sakura chuckled.

"It's obvious Hinata-chan! Duh!" Hanabi rolled her eyes.

"WHAT! UZUMAKI NARUTO! WHO IS THAT MAN!" Hiashi was faking to be enraged. Neji knew about this and burst out laughing. Setsuko laughed as well and Hinata… well… she was redder than a tomato.

"Uzumaki Naruto is my best friend uncle. He's a millionaire. Don't worry. I think he has a crush on Hinata as well. Judging from the fact that he blushes whenever he sees her." Neji remarked. Hinata bowed her head even lower.

"Maybe he's just a slowpoke." Hizashi said, sipping some wine. Sakura laughed.

"Maybe."

"Oh come on Honey. Hinata-chan?"

"Y-Yes mom?"

"It's alright. Just don't go beyond the border. You know what I mean okay?" Her mom winked at her as Hinata blushed even harder (if that's possible). Hinata looked at Sakura as she winked while grinning like a maniac.

Hiashi sat down.

"Hinata."

"Y-Yes D-Dad?"

He looked at her and in a split second, he smiled.

"I want to see that man when he courts you. Is that clear?" He asked but his tone was dead serious. Hinata nodded. Neji and Sakura smiled at each other.

----

Ran was sitting in a chair, sipping some juice. She was currently at their pool side inside their house in the Mediterranean. She flipped a page on the magazine she was holding on.

About five men in gangster suits appeared before her.

"You called for us Lady Casablanca?"

Ran took off her sun glasses and gave out her trademark sly smile.

"Yes I did. I have a mission for you…"

---

Tenten was walking alone at the sidewalk while coming home from grocery shopping. She turned to a corner but then she felt like someone was following her. So she stopped and turned her head.

"Who's there?"

No one answered, only a cat passed by.

"It's just a cat." She sighed in relief as she resumed walking but found two men blocking her way.

Tenten gasped.

Meanwhile, at Ino…

She was inside her house, playing her radio while lying on her stomach on her bed. She was kinda bored and she was texting with Shikamaru, who told her that he was too lazy to text at the moment. She groaned.

"Lazy ass."

She heard some screams and some scrambling from the 1st floor so she hurriedly opened the door and much to her horror, she saw the whole house in a terrible mess and her mom and dad were tied up on one corner.

"Mom! Dad!" Ino yelled but somebody already grabbed her from behind.

---

At the Hyuuga Estate…

Sakura was walking around the house because she was bored while waiting for Hinata to come home from her shopping. Neji was in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat since he was pretty bored and hungry too.

"I feel bad." Sakura said, walking to the kitchen.

"Oh? Do you have a fever or something?" Neji asked worriedly while closing the fridge.

"No. Not that. I feel… like something is wrong. Shouldn't Hinata be home by now?" Sakura asked, checking her wrist watch. Neji smiled as he placed a box of cake on the table and opened it.

"Don't get too worked up. Maybe she just found something interesting… on the mall I mean." Neji said while trying to find a knife. Sakura smiled as she sat down on the table as Neji got one more platter and placed it with one slice of cake.

"Thanks." Sakura said as she took a fork and started to eat. Neji placed one slice on his own platter and placed the box back at the large fridge. They started to eat in silence.

"Lady Sakura? There's a phone call for you." The servant said as Sakura thanked her and took the wireless phone from her.

"Hello? Sakura here."

After a few minutes, her face was plastered with a look of horror as she dropped her fork and stood up.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" She bellowed. Neji knew something was wrong.

"Sakura, what's the matter?"

Sakura hung up as she looked at Neji.

"The girls. They've been kidnapped."

----

A.N: Review people!


	25. Chapter 25

A.N.: Thanks for the reviews! You guys are WAY awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. (I just own Ran and other non-Naruto characters.)

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"They have been WHAAAAAAAAT!" Naruto yelled angrily as he punched the couch with his hand. Sakura, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Naruto and all other members of the Hyuuga clan were now gathered around the living room (with Ino and Tenten's parents of course).

"Sakura, what did the man say?" Shikamaru asked, extremely worried about Ino but he didn't let it show. He was just sitting coolly on the sofa with his arms crossed. Sasuke was now taping the arm rest of the couch with his fingers, worried about them as well.

"He said that I should just wait for the next call so that I could have the full details." Sakura replied roughly while staring at Setsuko trying to calm Ino's mom down. Ino's mom has been sobbing for about ten minutes now.

"Well, we can't do anything at the moment but wait." Hizashi said, looking at his twin brother who was turning livid in anger.

"Who the heck is responsible for this?" He hissed.

"We could say that one of the reasons is for money." Naruto said in a serious tone. Sakura was surprised on Naruto's seriousness and even Neji.

"Naruto, wow, you look so serious." Sakura said.

"Of course! I should be serious! Hinata-chan's life is on the line!" Naruto protested. Hiashi glanced at him with a slight interest in his eyes. So this guy is Naruto…

Sakura gave a slight smile.

'_Hinata would be SO happy if I'll tell her about this.'_

"Money? If that is the reason, then why did they include Ino and Tenten?" Inoshi (Inoishi?) said while glancing at his wife, Mrs. Yamanaka.

"Inoshi has a point."

"I have a slight idea." Shikamaru sounded as everyone turned to him.

"What do you mean Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked. "That you have a slight idea on who the culprit is?"

"Yeah."

"Then who is it?" Neji asked.

"It could be Ran." He replied grimly. "There is a possibility that she didn't give up on Neji… maybe she kidnapped the girls so that she could blackmail Sakura again to separate you two and she'll be the one to marry Neji instead."

Everyone fell silent.

"SHE JUST DOESN'T GIVE UP DOES SHE?" Sakura stood up, enraged.

"Calm down Sakura. It was just a speculation." Neji said in a gentle voice.

"There could be other reasons." Setsuko added as Hizashi nodded in agreement. Soon, the servants served them with some relaxing tea so that they would calm themselves down. Even Hiashi was soothed by the tea.

"If Ran is the culprit, and if she lays a single finger on my friends, then I would not hesitate on making her life miserable. If possible, I would kill her." Sakura gritted her teeth. "That bitch."

"Calm down Sakura. There's no point on getting enraged." Sasuke said as he sipped some tea. He was worried too but he was busy thinking of the reason behind the sudden kidnapping. At the corner of his eye, he could see Shikamaru staring at his tea, looking extremely deep in thought. He hasn't even touched his tea yet.

"Shikamaru, you're thinking too much. Drink some tea so that you could calm yourself." Inoshi said at the contemplating guy as he looked up.

"Don't worry Inoshi-san. It's his habit." Neji answered as Shikamaru bowed his head down again. Naruto was having his second serving of tea. He was panicking.

"Damn! How long are we going to wait for that stupid call?" Naruto hissed as he drank his tea with a shaky hand. Just thinking of Hinata being killed by an anonymous man scares him… not to mention enrages him.

"Geez Naruto, you need to calm down." Sakura told him.

"Yeah Naruto. You look like a man who just knew that he's going to die any minute." Neji said with slight amusement in his voice. "Look, your hands are shaking like hell."

"Yeah… I… I guess you're right…" Naruto said, sighing.

"I am right." Neji told him.

RING! RING! RING!

Everyone in the room snapped up as Sakura immediately reached out for her phone and placed it on a loud speaker mode so that everyone could hear it.

"Hello?"

"As promised. Here are the details." A man with a muffled voice said. "Without anyone, police, friends and relatives… only you… you should go to the tenth warehouse of the city's harbor. If we would catch anyone following you, we won't hesitate on killing one of them."

"DAMN YOU!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, pushing him away. "What time?"

"You should be here in an hour." He replied. "We'll see you."

And he hung up.

"…Sakura…?" Neji said, staring at Sakura who was now practically fuming. She stood up and checked her wrist watch.

"Sakura, don't tell me you're really going there alone!" Setsuko said, standing up. "It's too dangerous! We don't know what they're going to do!"

"And risk their life?" Sakura protested.

"But Sakura… what if they're going to do something to you?" Sasuke asked, standing up as well. Neji nodded in agreement while giving her a worried glare. Everyone was now staring at her.

"I have about an hour to get there. I need to go." She said and ignored the protests of the people. She slammed the door shut and was about to open the door of her car when a hand grabbed her arm. She looked on who the holder was and saw Neji's furious and worried eyes looking straight into her green orbs.

"Sakura. Don't be a mule." Neji growled. "I won't let you go there ALONE."

"DON'T YOU GET IT! IF SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE WITH ME, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ONE OF THEM!" Sakura yelled back, trying (with her normal strength) to get away from Neji's grasp. Neji was furious and the others were now watching helplessly by the door.

"But there's got to be another way Sakura." Sasuke said gently. "You're going head-on on an encounter with death."

"Sakura, we can plan this whole thing out." Shikamaru added.

"We only have a damn hour!" Sakura yelled furiously at them. "Sorry for this Neji. There's no other way."

And with her strength, she pushed Neji as he flew back towards the watching crowd. Naruto and Shikamaru were able to catch Neji as Sakura hurriedly clambered inside the car and hurriedly drove off. The others could only watch helplessly as the young woman went away to save her friends.

'_Just hang on you three…'_

----

Sakura reached the harbor with five minutes to spare. She was going on such a fast speed that she almost hit a huge truck on one intersection but she was able to avoid it, much to her relief. If she didn't then she would be dead by now.

Anyway, when she reached the harbor, the smell of the sea and fish rippled around her nose. She confidently went out of her car and slammed it shut. After a few seconds, about a dozen men emerged from the shadows.

"You're Haruno Sakura?" the man who seemed to be the leader said in a gangster tone. He had a large scar across his right eye and he looked very sadistic like all of his comrades. Sakura forced herself not to attack the man.

"Where are they?" She asked in a straight tone. "I am here as agreed. Now tell me the whereabouts of my friends."

"Ooh. Hot headed. Follow me." He said as they walked off. Sakura gave numerous glares to the men around her before walking off. They walked for five minutes until they reached an abandoned warehouse and she instantly felt a foreboding menace in it. She didn't like the place one bit.

"After you Haruno-sama." There was a hint of mock in his voice, which Sakura disliked. She narrowed her eyes on the man before entering the slightly dark warehouse. The only source of light inside the place was a hanging lamp with a yellowish bulb on it. And she didn't see any sign of her friends anywhere.

"Ah, she's Zaibatsu's grand daughter… didn't expect her to be this pretty." A dark voice from the shadows said as Sakura strained her eyes to see who the speaker was. The speaker emerged from the shadows and it was a LARGE and TALL man wearing a suit and he was smoking a cigar.

"Thank you for the compliment but I don't need them at the moment." Sakura replied coolly. "Why did you take my friends and where are they?"

"Hmm… calm as expected. No wonder why some people admire you." He said in a formal tone, approaching Sakura with his eyes interlocked with hers. Sakura swore that she saw an evil glint in his eyes, promising a bad event to happen towards her.

"Am I permitted to ask a question to you?" Sakura asked, ignoring his statement.

"Yes of course." He was now a few inches away from her and Sakura could feel his burning gaze towards her but she ignored it. "What is your question cherry blossom?"

"Who is the master mind behind this?" Sakura kept her voice and face calm and collected as the man caressed her cheek with a calloused hand. She had to restrain herself from beating the hell out of this man. NO ONE TOUCHES HER!

"I'm afraid I can't tell you cherry blossom… until you meet the person yourself." He said, his hand going to her neck. Sakura gave out a seductive smile.

"And why not?" She asked, pouting a little bit. "Come on… it's just a simple question."

"I'm sorry little one but I can't." He said, almost growling. It was obvious that he wanted Sakura. His eyes were full of lust and Sakura was thoroughly disgusted by it.

"Okay. Where are my friends?"

"I can't answer that one as well." The man replied, whispering in her ear. "If you want to see them and see the master mind, then you'll have to do what we want you do to… that seems easy enough is it?"

_Sakura… calm down… calm down… _

"What do you want me to do…?" Sakura asked, gritting her teeth.

She estimated them all. There were about 50 of them and she knew that one of them, probably the leader has a walkie-talkie that would call upon the master mind if there are any problems. She calculated on what she's going to do.

Two men closed the warehouse, wearing a smug smile each. Sakura had a slight idea about their… favor.

"It's something that even YOU would enjoy…" The man replied, his hand traveling on her thigh. A nerve appeared on Sakura's head as she glanced at a small metal beside her feet.

"Really?" Sakura said, smiling.

And within a second, she grabbed the metal piece and threw it at the lamp, smashing the light bulb. Darkness engulfed the whole area and all of them began to panic.

"Where is she?"

"I can't see anything!"

"Dammit! Find her! Find her!"

"AAAHHH!" One of the men screamed in agony followed by another, then another. The screaming went on and on until the only person left was the leader. (It happened in about ten minutes)

"Wha---Shijiro! Nuisen!"

Sakura picked up a lighter from one of the men's pockets and lit it.

"Calling for your boys?" Sakura smiled. "I'm used on dealing worse thugs than you."

The leader gasped in horror when he saw bodies being littered everywhere. Of course, they were just unconscious and some even had their limbs twisted.

"Wha—how…" He was practically horrified. "How did you do that!"

"Dunno." Sakura replied sarcastically.

The leader tried to run while Sakura was slowly approaching her (hot chick isn't she?) until he reached a wall. He looked around frantically trying to find a way out. But then, he whipped out his cell phone from his suit and smiled.

"One more move and you're friends will be dead." He threatened.

Sakura smiled.

"Ah… huh. Why don't you call her already?" Sakura replied. "I'm waiting."

"Her…?"

"Your master is Ran Suboshi… correct?"

The leader slightly gasped.

"How did you know?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and shifted her weight on one leg.

"Like duh, there's the crimson gang's pin on your suit." She said, pointing the pin with the symbol. "I saw it when you came close to me, you pervert."

"But still! She'll kill one of your friends! You'll pay for doing this!" The leader said and dialed the number. But before he could even push one button, a needle zoomed towards him and pinned the cell phone to the wall, smashing some parts of it.

The man screamed in agony as he held his bloodied hand.

Sakura pulled out about five needles in one hand while holding the lighter with the other.

"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?" She bellowed, enraged. "Answer me or I'll kill you."

The leader was now on his knees while staring at Sakura as though she was a devil of some sort. Well, Sakura DOES look pretty scary at the moment with that lighter illuminating her facial features.

"NO!"

Sakura threw one needle and it hit his right shoulder. The man screamed again.

"I don't need to repeat my question. Tell me where my friends are or it'll be your head. I'm not joking… nor do you want to die in a painful way…?"

"Who… Who ARE you!"

"Me…? I'm just a small helpless multi-billionaire. Got a problem with that!"

Sakura was about to throw another needle when he waved his hands in defense.

"Wait! Wait!"

And she threw another one. She hit his stomach.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WHERE ARE THEY!"

"They're at the Mediterranean! At a private island on he southern part! They're currently heading there using a yacht!" The man said, tears streaming from his eyes due to excessive fear. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Where is the yacht now?"

"Somewhere. But I know they're heading there! Please! Don't kill me!"

Sakura smiled.

"That was easy."

She turned on her heels and started to leave. The man smirked as he pulled out a walkie-talkie and pushed a button. Sakura's senses snapped out as she threw a needle aiming to the man's head.

And the last thing the man had seen was a pair of innocent green eyes.

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A.N.: Well, I finally updated!

Review!


	26. Chapter 26

A.N.: Okay! Now I sneaked out of my room and into the office of my dad so that I could update! Hee hee! People considered me as a good sneaker… and I am finally noticing their advantages! Hee hee! So! I sneaked out for you peeps!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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"Hello! Hello?" Ran's voice sounded through the receiver as Sakura kicked the bloody corpse away and picked up the walkie-talkie. She stared at it for a minute with disgust in her face.

She cleared her throat and made her voice go deeper (so that it may sound like a man).

"Hello? Lady Casablanca?" she said. There was a moment of silence and it took a while before Ran answered back.

"What happened to your voice Phoenix?"

'_So this man's code name is Phoenix…? Tch. Pathetic. He could've used another more… manly name. Phoenix joined with a man sounds gay (no offense).'_

Sakura gave out a fake cough.

"I've got a cough Lady Casablanca and it seems it irritated my throat." Sakura replied in a sick tone. "This cough is serious."

"Well, since when did you get the cough?"

"Just yesterday."

"But I didn't hear you coughing yesterday." Ran said coolly. "Well?"

"I was trying to hold back my cough so that I may speak well to you. But it seems it got worse… anyway, we have already taken care of Haruno, Lady Casablanca. What do you want me to do with her?" She replied in a serious tone.

"What did you do to her?"

"Hmm… a little bit of… let's see… rape and torture?" She replied, trying to put some amusement in her tone while staring at the corpse.

"That's good. Is she able to stand?"

"Nope."

"That's excellent!" Ran replied with delight. "Bring her… body to the yacht and send her to me. The others are already waiting there. Then deliver her to my house so that she may be too weak to fight. Don't give her anything. Food and water… nothing."

"Yes Lady Casablanca. Is the yacht waiting in the harbor already?"

"Yes." Ran replied.

"She'll be there by tomorrow or so Lady Casablanca." Sakura replied then turned the walkie-talkie off. "Yeah right."

And she threw the walkie-talkie over her shoulders (hitting the corpse's head… poor guy) and left the warehouse while trying to fix her clothing. She wondered how many men were at the yacht. But she knew it would be easy. She'll just have to let one of them survive.

While at the Hyuuga Estate…

"Oh my God… what happened to her?" Setsuko asked worriedly while holding her husband's hand for comfort. Neji was now walking back and forth with his hands on his pockets. Sasuke was rubbing his temples while Shikamaru was still deep in thought. Naruto was now hugging a throw pillow.

"Damn." Neji muttered. "I hope she's okay."

RING! RING! RING!

Everyone snapped up as Neji pulled out his cell phone and noticed that it was Sakura's number. A weight immediately lifted from his heart and answered it.

"Sakura?"

When everyone heard the name, they became extremely attentive to the Hyuuga.

"Neji? How are you and the guys?" Sakura replied, and Neji could tell by the voice that she was smiling. "Is Naruto still shaking to death?"

"Sakura, how are you? Where are you? What happened to the culprit? Do you know who the master mind is? Did you find the three?" Neji asked a barrage of questions. Sakura gave out a low whistle.

"Easy there. I'm fine Neji. Perfectly fine. I was able to gather information and Shikamaru's speculation is right. Ran is the master mind."

"Damn her!"

"Calm down. But I didn't find the three but I know where they are."

"So where are they?"

A moment of silence…

"I won't tell you." Sakura replied roughly. Neji felt frustrated.

"Why not?"

"Because, knowing you… if you'd know the location, you'll follow me and maybe Ran would find out. It's not that I'm thinking that you're clumsy or anything but here's a clue, it's an island. She can monitor everything that's happening there and you would be easily spotted."

"Are you saying that you're going there ALONE?" Neji asked, gritting his teeth. "Damn Sakura! Why do you always push people aside when they try to help you?"

Sakura smirked.

"Because I don't want people to get hurt because of me. I love you Neji."

And she hung up.

"Sakura? Sakura?" Neji yelled. He stared at his cell phone in annoyance and pocketed it. Setsuko stood up and approached the fuming Hyuuga.

"How is she Neji?"

----

Sakura frowned as she placed her cell phone in silent mode (in case) and pocketed it. She then carefully tried to find the only yacht in the harbor and after twenty minutes of searching, she was able to find it. The yacht wasn't that big, and there was the Crimson Gang's emblem on the side.

'_Could Ran be any stupider or what?'_

She smirked when she saw a cluster of people talking to each other confidently. Those fools.

Sakura pulled out ten needles and smiled.

"I haven't been in this much action since I was a little kid." Sakura murmured to herself while inching closer to the yacht. "And I think I'm going to enjoy this one."

She neared the yacht and estimated the visible people.

Ten.

'_There must be more inside. Need more needles.'_

She smiled inwardly then threw the first five to the farthest people.

"Five down. Five to go."

As expected, the remaining people started panicking as Sakura zoomed towards the yacht because she could save more needles if she would use the short range combat technique.

"What happened!" One of them yelled.

"He's dead…!"

"Who threw them? Check the area!"

"No need for that." Sakura said coolly.

"What! Who said that!" The man with green hair and the others looked around. "Who's there!"

"Look up idiots."

They looked up and much to their horror, Sakura was like a spider, crouching (in an upside-down manner) while her hair was hanging down. She was holding on to a needle that was pierced unto the roof. It was strong enough to hold her.

"Boo."

And five minutes later, they were all dead. (Wohoo! Go Sakura! Go Sakura! Hell yeah!)

She pulled out a hand kerchief from her pocket and used it as a barrette to hold her hair. She couldn't fight them with her hair swaying around. Who knows? Maybe they would even have the chance to accidentally cut it!

"Now where are the others?" She mumbled while placing one hand on her waist. She looked up and smiled.

"I'm working from down below to the top."

And she entered the yacht. All she saw was luxurious sofas and a wine bar inside and there was no one. She heard some scrambling and some voices from a room and approached it, needles in hand. She slowly opened the door, careful not to be obvious.

She saw a group of men with their own respective sluts partying inside.

'_Could these people get even more pathetic?... Hey, should I kill the women too? I better check out who's the captain here first.'_

She went up and saw only two persons. She smiled then went back down, desperate to get this over with. She was frustrated because she wanted to see her friends alive and well again. She swore to herself that she would make Ran pay. She has done enough.

She placed some needles in her mouth and with the door slightly ajar, she threw (or spitted) one by one, hitting the men in their heads. The sluts started to scream.

There, she opened the door.

"Hey."

"Who—Who are you?" One girl with long brown hair yelled. "What did you do to them?"

"You know what? You girls wasted your entire life having sex with random people just to earn money. Do you know the word… persevere? Or work?" Sakura said amusingly while placing a hang on her waist. "Or were you just sluts from the day you were born?"

"Pardon?" And yes, they seemed offended.

"I would give you girls a chance. I'm going to remember each and one of you and if I'd see you still roaming around the streets, convincing men to fuck you, then I would kill you. Work hard and if you'd tell anyone… ANYONE about this, I would also kill you, or your families. Got that?"

"What? Who the hell are you to tell us that?"

"No need to tell you. You're going to find out anyway… Hmmm… I have an idea. We need some employees for one company. Here are the business cards and if you are interested, then contact the number placed there." Sakura gave them a card each. "And they'll be glad to tell you of who I am. Please, for the sake of your pride, do as I say or it'll be your life… I'm just being kind here… okay?"

And the sluts started at her numbly. Sakura gave them a sweet smile.

"You may go!" She said cheerfully. But they didn't move. Instead, the one nearest to her, the brown haired girl became teary eyed.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Thank you." The girl replied, on a verge of tears as she hugged Sakura. "Thank you! Thank you for this! You don't know how this means to us!"

"What---"

"We were just forced to become like this. We are all orphans and one of the crimson gang's members bought us so that we could become their source for entertainment. If we won't oblige to their requests, they would kill us…"

Sakura was flabbergasted.

"You mean you guys were just acting?"

They all nodded. Sakura smiled.

"I'm happy to help. Now go before you guys get into trouble. I still have some business to do." Sakura said. "Don't ask."

"But how did you kill all of them?" One of them asked.

"Simple. Using my mouth. Now go!"

They smiled and left.

Sakura sighed.

'_Well! After all of this killing, I am GLAD to make one good deed! Now! For the captain and his friend…'_

She smiled to herself as she hummed while climbing up the stairs. She even washed her bloody hands on the sink and snatched an apple!

'_I wonder what kind of apple this is… It's really good.'_

She climbed up a small stairs while eating the apple, not caring if they would hear her or not. As expected, their talking voices stopped and Sakura speculated that they were now straining their ears to listen.

"Hey! What's up?" Sakura asked while leaning on the door frame.

The two men instantly snatched their guns and pointed them at her.

"Who—are you?" The captain said. Sakura smiled sweetly as she neared the man next to the captain and twirled her finger on his chest.

"I'm… you know… one of them… and I got kinda bored so I went up here."

"Oh… so you're one of them eh?" The man said, his arm writhing around her waist like a snake. Sakura tried not to crease her face in disgust as she went closer to the man's face. The captain looked queasy.

"What were you girls screaming around earlier?" The captain asked, putting his gun down. Sakura smiled, thinking that these stupid guys fell into her trap. Everything was going WAY too easy and… well, she knew it would be hard when she would reach the island.

"We were just having fun." Sakura replied seductively. "Is it bad when we scream while having fun?"

"Nope." The man whispered in her ear. "Not at all."

Sakura just smiled. The captain looked at his watch.

"What's taking them so long?"

"Hey, do you know what the Haruno girl look like?" The man beside Sakura said. "She said she's pretty…"

"Pretty or not, I want to get this over with." The captain replied dryly. "I wanna go back to my house and take a nice bath."

'_Hmph. If you'll still be alive after this.'_

Sakura pulled out a needle from her hand and stabbed the man five times in the stomach. The man screamed in agony as he dropped unto the floor with a loud thud as the captain stared at her with horror and instantly pulled out his gun.

"Wha---WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" He screeched, pointing his gun shakily at her.

Sakura smiled.

"Nothing." Sakura said while walking towards him. "Just for fun."

And with a split second, she appeared beside the man and kicked the gun away from his hand. She turned around and caught the gun with her outstretched right hand while her left hand was holding a needle pointing at the man's neck.

"How---How did you do that?" The man whispered horrifyingly.

"Skill." Sakura replied cheerfully. She pocketed the needle and held the gun instead. She pointed it at him, right on his head.

"If you don't want to die, you'll follow my orders. Got that?"

The captain shakily nodded.

"Damn, you crimson guys are SO stupid. Oh, and if you don't know, I'm the one you've been looking for." Sakura said as she followed the man as he walked towards the controls, still pointing the gun at him. 

"You mean you're…"

"Yes. I am Haruno Sakura."

"What did you do to the others?" He asked, this time, he tried to calm himself down. "Did you kill them as well?"

"Yup." Sakura replied. "Now lead me to Ran's island."

----

"Damn, where the hell is she?" Neji mumbled to himself while dropping unto the couch. Shikamaru smirked as he pulled out his cell phone and typed something on it. Then, everyone heard some beeping.

"She's on the way to the floating Shiramatsu airport." Shikamaru said, eyeing the cell phone.

"What—how did you know?" Naruto asked, eyeing the cell phone as well. There, they could see a map on the screen and a red dot beeping. The dot was also moving and they could tell that it was Sakura. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Shikamaru, how did you track her?"

"What! Let me see!" Neji pushed Naruto aside and took a glance at the cell phone himself.

"With this." Shikamaru pulled out a small circular thingy with a red beeping particle in the middle. It was small enough to go unnoticed.

"What's that?"

"This is a tracking device developed by a company. I knew this was going to happen so a few minutes before Sakura would leave, I placed it on her. Remember when I 'accidentally' tripped on her earlier when I was walking around?"

"Shikamaru! You're a genius!" Inoshi said.

"But why didn't you tell me before?" Neji yelled. "Here I am almost in the verge of ripping my hair off because of worry and you knew where she is all along?"

"I wanted to know if you're able to control yourself or not." Shikamaru replied grimly. "Feh. It's too troublesome to explain."

"Well then, let's go!" Naruto said, jumping up. Shikamaru shook his head.

"No. When she reaches the island that she's telling us. That's where we go. If we're going to go right now, do you know where the island is huh Naruto? We must know the location first."

"Shikamaru's right Naruto." Sasuke agreed.

"Get the guards and the others ready." Hiashi said on the servants as they bowed and nodded. "I'm going to contact Zaibatsu about this."

"I'm going to contact Zaibatsu myself." Hizashi shook his head. "She's my responsibility and I know he could do something about Ran's father."

And he left.

"Let's get this party started."

---

A.N.: Wah, took me long enough to finish this one.

E.I.


	27. Chapter 27

A.N.: I have encountered another problem with the document manager and I was unable to update. Sorry bout this guys but it's not really my fault. I have already contacted the site about this but they didn't do anything…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

"Hey, how long is it going to take before we reach the damn island?" Sakura asked, bored out of her soul. "Because I'm really bored right now… and it's just… oh goodie, two hours?"

"We're going to reach there tomorrow morning." The captain replied bluntly.

Sakura sighed.

"Damn it."

The two were still inside the control room and the captain was maneuvering the yacht. Sakura was sitting on one chair, still holding the gun and it was still pointed directly at the man. Sakura kept yawning every now and then.

"How long have you been with the crimson gang?" Sakura asked, trying to think of something that they could talk about.

"5 months."

"What? Only 5 months? So… you're still a newbie?"

"Ah-huh."

"Ooh. Okay. Do you have a family?" Sakura asked again. "A wife? Kids? Or something?"

"Yeah." The captain replied, slightly interested on the topic. "They're at Tokyo right now… and I haven't seen them since the day I joined the gang."

"Why did you join the gang anyway?"

"Because someone told me that I could earn a large amount of money by joining this gang… and because we're very poor, I joined in without any hesitation."

"So did you get the large amount of money that they've promised to you?" Sakura twirled the gun in her hand while resting her head with the other. "And why didn't you see them? Didn't they give you a chance for you to go home?"

"Yeah, I got the money. And it was more than enough. I just send the money to them and my wife told me that they were able to rent a house. We lived in a poor apartment before. And the kids were indeed happy."

"How many kids do you have cap?"

"2. One girl and one boy. Twins."

Sakura seemed delighted.

"Ooh! You're so lucky!"

"Yeah, I am." The captain replied, smiling. "However, the crimson gang held so many parties and trips that's why I wasn't able to see them."

"Do you miss them?"

"Of course I do!"

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes I am. Swear to God."

"Well then, I changed my mind." Sakura sighed, leaning on the chair. The captain raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"Changed your mind about what?"

"About killing you." Sakura replied in a lazy tone, but it was enough to make the captain's eyes grow wide and shiver. "I was thinking of killing you afterwards but for the sake of your family, I won't. But you need to promise me something."

"Yes! Yes! Sure!" The captain seemed delighted on her decision.

"Leave the crimson gang."

"But how can I get a salary?"

Sakura smiled.

"Have you forgotten of who I am?" Sakura said. "I can employ you. We still need some people in one of our companies and I would be honored if you would try."

"What job?"

"The same job you're in now."

"Yacht captain?"

"We have a few resorts and a couple of businessmen who may want your service and the salary would be far greater than the one you're receiving now." Sakura was smiling wide. "So are you in or out?"

The captain couldn't believe it.

"Thank you so much Haruno-sama! I am forever in your debt!" The captain fell to his knees and bowed to her. "Thank you so much for helping me like this and I would be able to see my family again!"

"Yes, yes. But cap, no need for the bowing. A thank you is enough." Sakura pulled out a business card, the same one that she gave to the sluts earlier. "Contact the number that's on the card and everything would be fine."

"Thank you Haruno-sama!" He said, standing up and taking the card. There was a moment of silence until Sakura cleared her throat. Deep inside, she looked queasy for trusting this man but if he was lying, then Sakura would credit him as one of the best actors she had ever met.

"How can I ever repay you?" The captain asked.

"Simple. Can I trust you enough? Maybe when I fall asleep you would call Ran behind my back." Sakura said in a very serious tone. "And I would kill you with no hesitation if you'd do that."

"Yes, yes. Sure… you can trust me."

"Sure?"

"Sure!"

Sakura stared at him in disbelief.

"Please Haruno-sama. Trust me. I know you're tired…"

"Yeah, I am." Sakura replied roughly. "But gangsters shouldn't be easily trusted."

"I know, I know."

Sakura sighed.

"On second thought, I think I can still make it through the night." She said. "Besides, I am used to staying up for the whole night. I could get a good sleep when this thing is over."

The captain just smiled sadly on her and resumed maneuvering.

"What Miss Casablanca did was awful." The captain started. "She's too obsessed with your fiancée that she just refuses to give up and even went so far as to kidnap your best friends."

"Oh? So you know the story behind it then."

"Everyone inside the gang knows about it."

Sakura stretched her arms.

"Hey cap?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think my fiancée is THAT handsome?"

The captain smiled.

"Yes of course. And also Uchiha-sama. He's handsome as well. Some female gang members even had a crush on them."

"Feh. Pathetic women and their obsession." Sakura shook her head in disapproval. "If I was Ran, I would let go of Neji, like what Sasuke did to me, even though I know it is painful to do so…"

"You're really lucky Haruno-sama, two handsome men fell in-love with you."

"Yeah… But believe it or not, Sasuke, Neji and I were mortal enemies before. I hated them with my entire life and I didn't expect for things to end up this way. I never even dreamt of becoming Neji's fiancée."

The captain just chuckled.

"Just like my wife, Ame."

"Ame… means Rain?"

"Yeah. I met her when I was in junior high. She was also my mortal enemy and we frequently pull pranks with each other and sometimes we end up in detention together." The captain smiled. "But one day, when we were locked up inside a stock room because our classmates locked us up in an attempt to have us end up in a truce, I fell in love with her."

"What did you do inside?" There was nothing better than hearing someone else's love story.

"We didn't talk to each other but after ten minutes, we gave up. It was pouring cats and dogs outside and the stock room was pretty comfortable though it was dusty. But Ame, she got a fever and all I could do was to take care of her…"

"…"

"She fell asleep in my arms." He chuckled. "And that was the first time I stared at her face for a very long time… and I realized how beautiful she was."

"Ooh! That's so sweet!"

"And then, our classmates let us out and I practically yelled at them for being so foolish as to lock us up in a stock room. They apologize and we brought Ame to the hospital immediately."

"Why didn't you yell at your classmates from the inside that she's sick?"

The captain smiled wider.

"She wished I won't."

"What? You mean she didn't want to get out yet? Even though she had a fever already?"

"She confessed to me that she loves me. And I was touched."

Sakura giggled.

"She confessed to me and she told me that she wanted to stay that way for a longer time. And I obliged to her request and I told her that I felt the same way… and that's where it all started."

Sakura sighed dreamily.

"Wow, that's nice."

"VERY nice."

----

"WWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAATTTTTTTT! YOU LET HER GO OFF ALONE!" Zaibatsu's booming voice almost made Hizashi's ears bleed.

"I'm so sorry Zaibatsu-sama but my son tried to restrain her from leaving but she was just too obstinate! She even almost killed my son by just simply pushing him away! And now she's off to God-Knows-Where but Shikamaru, Nara's son is keeping track of her."

"What? You mean he placed a tracking device on her?"

"Yes."

"Where is she now?"

"Somewhere heading to the Shiramatsu airport." Hizashi replied shakily. Now he knew how Zaibatsu's voice sounded like when he was enraged. "We are already having some troops ready so that when we would know the exact location of the place where Ran brought the girls, we would fly over there and help her."

"When Sakura called, was she hurt?"

"No, she was fine."

"Good. I'll be right there in a matter of hours. Keep tracking her understand?"

"Yes Zaibatsu-sama."

And he hung up. Hizashi rubbed his temples as Setsuko approached him and hugged him from behind.

"Is she going to be okay Hizashi?"

"Don't worry Setsuko, have trust on her." Hizashi replied with a gentle voice as he held his wife's hands. "Sakura, she's a good fighter… an excellent one if I may say and she could handle Ran. And don't forget that she's smart."

A moment of silence…

"Hon?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you calm your son down for a moment? He's in the living room, ready to burst." Setsuko said. "He wants to get this over with immediately."

Hizashi sighed.

"Typical Neji and his temper."

----

Ino moaned as she woke up due to the pain from her body. Her vision was a blur at first and she could immediately smell dust coming around her. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw herself in one steel room with an unconscious Tenten and Hinata beside her.

"Wha—Where are we?"

All that she could remember was men knocking her unconscious but what are the two doing here?

"Tenten! Hinata!" She whispered while trying to wake the two up. She noticed the bruises all over their bodies, a prime evidence that they had been beaten up.

"Damn it, where are we!" She hissed.

Tenten moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Wha—Ino?"

"Tenten! Thank God! You okay?"

Tenten sat up as she held her head.

"Duh, my body is aching. Do you think I'm okay?" She replied in a hoarse voice. "By the way, what are you and Hinata doing here?"

"I have no idea. Did some men in black knock you out as well?"

Tenten nodded.

"Hinata, she's still unconscious." Ino said as she stood up and studied the door. It was made of pure steel, making them unable to escape and there was only one small window with bars that made the moon's light shine to the room.

"It's night time and I could smell tropical smells here." Tenten sniffed.

"This is definitely not Japan."

"So where are we?"

"I told you I have no idea." Ino replied grimly while staring at Hinata's immobile body. "All that I know is that we've been abducted."

"What! Abducted!"

"Sssh!" Ino hissed while covering Tenten's mouth with her hand. "If they're going to hear us, they are going to check us out to see if we're awake and who knows what they'll do to us!"

"Sorry."

Ino sighed.

"Do you think someone is out there to save us?"

----

Morning.

"We're here?" Sakura said in a bored tone as she tried to stay awake. To do so, she pulled out a needle and created a small slash in her arm, painful enough to keep her awake. The captain stared at her.

"You really are amazing. Anyway, we're going to a helicopter over there." He pointed a helicopter but it was guarded with crimson men. "How are we going to get there when they thought you were raped and tortured?"

"How many are they?" Sakura asked, checking out her nails.

"About twenty."

"That's it? No men from the inside?"

"About ten. Two from the control station and three from the inside. No one here because the crimson gang owns this and this airport is strictly for the gang's use only."

"Wait here."

And she left.

"Wait! What are you going to do?" The captain yelled from the door.

"I'm going to do something… very enjoyable… to me that is. This is going to take a while so I think you should close your eyes if you don't want any violence but if you do, there's some popcorn by the bar."

The captain raised a brow as she jumped off the yacht and into the wooden platform.

"Who—Who are you?" One man whipped out his gun.

"I'm your worst nightmare."

----

E.I.: Review! Pipz!


	28. Chapter 28

A.N.: WUPEEEEE! IT'S FRIDAY! HELL YEAH!

Ino: Damn, you're so loud.

Tenten: And hyper.

Sakura: And freaky.

Neji: I agree.

Shikamaru: I second the motion.

Naruto: Same here.

Sasuke: Yeah.

E.I.: GRRR… HMPH!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

The captain couldn't believe it.

There was Haruno Sakura, standing in the middle of a field of corpses with a beautiful and innocent smile on her face. How could an innocent girl be this... blood thirsty?

Sakura sighed as she flipped her hair and walked towards the yacht, stepping over the corpses as though they were not even there. The captain stared at her, agape, aghast and frightened to death. Who is this girl?

Sakura went inside and grabbed a towel that was on the bar and wiped her bloody face and hands. Then she proceeded to the captain's area wearing the same grin. She was also holding an apple in her hand (the same kind of apple she ate yesterday).

"So! What're we going to do now?" She asked, taking a bite. The captain just stared at her.

"Wow."

"Pardon?"

The captain's eyes shone in admiration.

"YOU'RE AMAZING HARUNO-SAMAA!" He said, looking like a fan who just met his idol. Sakura stared at him with confusion in her eyes.

"That was nothing."

The captain shook his head.

"You defeated all of them under thirty minutes!" The captain said. "And it's nothing?"

Sakura just gave him a nervous laugh.

"Anyway, what're we going to do now? I'm really tired and I can't face all of those guys when we reach our destination… and I can't risk it." Sakura said, slumping down a chair. "I haven't got any sleep and this battle drained my energy… big time."

The captain fell deep in thought but after ten minutes, he smiled.

"I have an idea."

----

"Tell me, why didn't we do this before?" Sakura asked, annoyed.

The captain smiled at his work.

"Because we were already panicking on what to do. That's why." The captain replied. "Anyway, you look pretty… erm… how can I say this… tortured?"

Sakura chuckled.

"How did you know all this stuff?" Sakura checked her image in the mirror the captain gave her. "Were you a special effects make-up artist or something? I look pretty… tortured."

Sakura had some parts of her clothes ripped off and it was now dirty and was smeared with blood… fake blood that is. Sakura had some 'bruises' all over her body and her hair was also in a mess. She also had fake wounds and scratches.

"I mixed a green and orange food coloring for the blood. The sluts left a black pressed powder…" He started.

"Okay, why the heck are bringing a black pressed powder?"

"I have no idea. I just found it on the vanity set… just thank God that it's there." The captain replied, smiling. "My daughter loves theatre and my wife and I always do this kind of stuff."

"Oh so your daughter is a good actress?"

"Yeah."

Sakura smiled.

"So I'm going to act out as an injured woman…?"

"Exactly. You're good at acting… aren't you?"

Sakura smiled wider.

"Believe me. I am."

"Good."

Sakura checked herself again but after a few minutes, she looked at the captain, frowning. The captain raised an eyebrow.

"Will you be with us when we reach her place?"

The captain frowned.

"I'm sorry but I'm only allowed of transferring you. On the helicopter I mean." He replied grimly. "And after that I need to go back and maybe clean the yacht… but don't worry, I'll try to find a way to help you there…"

Sakura nodded.

"Thanks."

"Now we need to go. The evil hag's waiting."

Sakura burst out laughing.

----

"Zaibatsu-sama!" Hizashi greeted as the multi-billionaire entered the premises. Neji and Hizashi shook hands with him while the girls bowed (or made a curtsy) and he proceeded on shaking hands with the men. The also introduced themselves and after that, they headed inside.

"So what's the current situation?" He sat down on one sofa as one servant served him with tea.

"She's in the Mediterranean… she just arrived there about a few hours ago and she just moved. She's heading somewhere… through a helicopter maybe because the signal's not that good." Shikamaru informed him.

"Are the troops ready?"

"Yes. They're in stand by mode."

Zaibatsu sighed.

"That crazy grand daughter of mine." He shook his head. "She's so reckless that sometimes I do not know what to do with her."

"I agree." Neji mumbled, making Naruto smirk.

"So there's a possibility that the girls are locked up there? Of all places, Mediterranean… I wonder what she's doing right now."

"Maybe killing some nasty guys." Naruto commented thoughtfully. "She always likes hurting people that hurts her friends… sometimes, she even kills them. Fierce woman."

Neji smirked.

"Fierce? More like scary."

---

Sakura was now in the helicopter with the captain as they flew towards the destination. Sakura was doing some last check-ups on her needles and on herself. She even borrowed a couple of daggers and placed it inside her bra (Hee hee).

"Please be careful Haruno-sama."

"Don't worry." Sakura replied absentmindedly while trying to mess her hair. "I can deal with her. I know Ran… well not that much but my main priority is taking those girls."

The captain nodded.

"In five minutes, we'll be there."

"Hai."

----

Sakura and the captain reached their destination and Sakura's arms were now tied up behind her. The captain pretended on nastily pushing her to the men.

"Here."

The men smiled as they checked her. Sakura fell to her knees pretending that she was already extremely weak.

"Heh. Such a pity." One man said, cupping her chin. "She's really pretty. I wish I was the one who raped her."

"You wish." His companion smirked. "Come on, Lady Casablanca's waiting. Good work cap. You may go."

The captain took one last glance at Sakura before heading off back to the helicopter. Sakura just smiled a little bit at him then proceeded to the car (the men were pushing her) as they drove off towards Ran's mansion.

"So she's the little one eh?" The driver said. "I thought she was powerful."

"She is."

"In her dreams…"

And they laughed. Sakura just rolled her eyes. She watched the scenery outside and planned to kick Ran's ass, buy this island, demolish her mansion and put another one…

'_Hmm… that would be a good honeymoon spot… oh God! Did I just say that?'_

'_**Ah-huh.'**_

Sakura sighed as the man beside her looked at her.

"Who was her fiancée again?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the guy Lady Casablanca is addicted to?"

"Oh. Hyuuga Neji."

The man looked at her again as he caressed her 'bruised' cheek.

"I could say that he's lucky." The man growled. "She's so hot. I won't mind having her as my wife. We would definitely have a dozen children."

Sakura resisted the urge of punching the man in the face.

"Tch. Stop daydreaming about her. She's not worth it." The driver said.

"You're just saying that because you're already old." The man beside her snapped coldly. "She's a multi-billionaire, smart, sexy and beautiful. What else?"

"You could get her after Lady Casablanca punishes her." The other one replied. "Hey, mind sharing her?"

"Nope."

"Oh come on."

"I said no. She's mine."

'_Perverted jerks.'_

After a grueling 20 minutes, they reached Ran's mansion. True, it was really beautiful not to mention huge but Sakura ignored it completely. She needs to be serious.

"Come on. Get out." The man pulled her arm making Sakura 'wince'.

"Hurry up."

When they reached inside, the place was filled with expensive forms of art and furniture. The floor was made of marble and there was a fountain at the center. Sakura and the men walked until they reached a pair of huge elegant-looking doors.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Come in." Ran's voice sounded as they went inside.

They entered and Sakura would see book cases covering the walls. Ran was on one sofa, reading one book and her back was facing them. The men threw Sakura as she stumbled towards the floor. Ran turned around and smiled.

"Very nice." She mumbled, approaching her. "Now you may leave."

The men bowed and left.

"Haruno Sakura… the woman who took Neji, humiliated me and tried to bring me down… Tch… and is now helplessly in front of me… tortured… and raped… if I may say, you enjoyed the raping session… am I correct?" She asked slyly.

"Very." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"Hmph. Sarcastic as ever." Ran kicked her on the side and this time, Sakura did wince. She continued on kicking and punching her and Sakura knew those are going to leave a mark. She's SO dead…

A few minutes after the kicking and punching session, Ran grabbed a handful of hair and made her look up.

"Neji is mine… YOU HEAR! He's mine and mine alone! No one could take him away from me! NO ONE!" She screamed, breathing heavily. "Even if I have to kill I would do it just for him!"

"NEJI DOESN'T LOVE YOU!" Sakura protested.

Ran slapped her.

"He DOES!"

Sakura sighed.

"Now Haruno Sakura, without you… Neji would be mine and he would have no choice but to continue the engagement… and you would be buried six feet under the ground by that time!" She said, giving out an evil laugh.

'_Man, this woman has issues.'_

'_**She needs to visit a psychologist.'**_

"But since I am a nice person… I'm going to let you see your friends one last time. Don't worry, after the wedding I would release your friends… or if my moods don't match, kill them." She said, grabbing another handful of hair and forced her to stand up. "I'm going to let you to be with them for… one night or so."

"One night?" Sakura echoed, her eyes brightening. God, Ran is SO stupid.

"One night. The room is made of pure titanium that's why you can't escape and there are also guards." Ran replied. "So there's zero chance for you to escape."

"Yeah. Seems that way." She replied, trying to sound solemn.

---

A.N.: Ran is SO stupid.

Everyone: I AGREE!

Review!


	29. Chapter 29

E.I.: Thanks for all those who reviewed!

Sakura: I'm SO going to kill Ran… my body is aching because of her.

Ino: I thought you two were just 'acting'.

Sakura: No. She punched and kicked me…

Neji: RAN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!

Hinata: Uh-oh. Neji's mad.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

---

Ino, Tenten and Hinata were now helplessly sitting inside the room, waiting for something to happen… they didn't have any plan because the bars and the walls were pretty tough and if they could escape, there would be a little chance for them to get out alive. They didn't even know where they are.

"Sigh… how long are we going to stay here?" Tenten asked, aggravated. "I really want to take a bath now and eat some… real food. They've been serving us of left overs. Yuck."

"We don't have any option." Ino snapped. "Unless you have an escape plan."

Hinata just shook her head.

They fell into a moment of silence again.

A few moments later, the door swung open and they saw Ran herself with some other guards accompanying another prisoner. But hell, the prisoner looked nasty. It seems she has been tortured… badly.

"Oh my God!" Ino gasped, as the three stood up. "Sakura!"

Ran smirked as she threw Sakura inside and slammed the door shut.

"Make sure you tell them all you want to say Haruno." She said coldly. "You only have one night to live."

And she left. The three surrounded Sakura as she helped her stand up.

"Oh my God! What did they do to you?" Tenten screeched, eyeing the wounds. "Did they torture you? Did they also kidnap you huh?"

Sakura sat up as she crossed her legs in an Indian-style and sighed.

"I can't believe you guys fell for my make-up."

O.o

"Wha—you mean to say that these wounds and blood… are just make-up?" Hinata asked, eyeing the fake blood more closely. "How did you—"

"Someone helped me. Anyway, you guys are in the Mediterranean right now." Sakura said in a serious tone. Ino gasped.

"What! Really? Cool!"

The three eyed her.

"Um… I mean… that's terrible!"

Sakura shook her head.

"I know that you really wanted to go to a place like this Ino but this is definitely not a situation that I was hoping for. Anyway, the walls are made of pure titanium and the bars as well. Ran gave me one night to talk to you guys before blackmailing Neji to marry her in exchange for my life."

"How did you find us Sakura?" Tenten asked.

"One guy called me to go to the harbor to meet them. But then, I had a chance and I killed all of them, giving me enough access to the private yacht that was waiting. They were planning to rape and torture me but I won't allow them… eew."

"So… let me guess… you killed all of the men in the yacht as well and left one person so that you may know where Ran is… right?"

"Wow Hinata. You're so smart. Yes. That's right. The person I left alive was the captain of the yacht himself. And he was the one responsible for this make-up… I offered him a job at my company that assured him of a greater salary and he thanked me. His daughter is a theatre actress that's why he's so good on this stuff…"

"I see. So what're we going to do? She's going to kill you and there's no guarantee we would be safe." Ino said, her face down. "The boys and our families are probably worried as hell right now."

"Believe me." Sakura sighed. "The last time I talked to Neji was the time in the harbor."

"Hey guys, let stop chitchatting and let's try to find a way out." Tenten interrupted while looking at the bars. "We don't have any weapon…"

Sakura smiled as she stood up and went to look out from the door.

"We only have eight hours or so before the sun will come out. We need to get out of here. There are about ten guards walking around in the prisoner's corridor…"

"Why are you calculating? It's not like we could get out." Ino said.

"Don't be cynical Ino. I'm not stupid to just barge in here without any weapon." Sakura said, trying to find a small needle in her bra, and when she found it, she pulled it out. "This needle is small enough to fit on the keyhole."

"Let me do that. I know how to open locks." Tenten said, taking the needle then went to her knees so that her head was leveled with the key hole. "This is going to take time though."

"How did you know how to open locks Tenten?" Sakura asked, smiling.

"My mom taught me." Tenten started to enter the needle. "I don't even know why. But I knew it was going to be handy."

"You mom is awesome." Ino chuckled. "Hey, maybe you could teach me that too?"

"Why though?" Tenten started picking.

"So that I could sneak into Shikamaru's room and see if he really likes me…" Ino said dreamily. "Damn I love that lazy ass."

Sakura smiled.

'_You have NO idea how Shikamaru worries for you.'_

"Hey guys." She hissed. "Here's the plan. On the way to the prisoner's corridor, there's a spiral staircase. You need to cover your noses because after the lock has been opened, I'm going to throw a sleeping bomb… then wait for me on the middle of the staircase okay?"

Hinata and Ino nodded.

"Then we're going to try to run and escape. I think we could steal one of the cars." Sakura said. "Heck, there's going to be a lot of running to do."

Ino sighed.

"Damn I hate running."

"If you want to be killed then fine." Sakura stated simply. "I know how much you hate running but this would be a great time for you to start loving it."

"How can you say that Sakura? You also hate running." Hinata smiled. "You always end up second or third to the last on running activities."

Sakura gave a slight cough.

"Change topic. So is that plan okay?"

"What if they're guards guarding the whole area?" Tenten asked. "We don't know if they are patrolling the area or something like that."

"I'm going to try to take them off. When I am doing that, you guys could run when I give you the signal."

"Whoa, whoa wait. You mean you're going to fight for your life while we are escaping?" Ino said. "That is SO not cool."

"Sakura, we cannot leave you."

"Listen you three. The guys are worried sick about you and your families as well."

"What about Neji? He's also worried! You guys came through a lot and it would be such a waste if you would get killed! Neji would probably try to kill himself again!" Ino protested. "Try to think of all the people who loves you Sakura."

"If we're going to run together, then we would be ALL killed." Sakura corrected her calmly. "Besides, I'll try to catch up on you guys. Tenten, how long is it going to get you to open that lock?"

"Damn this lock is hard. Maybe an hour or so."

"What! That long?" Sakura sighed.

"Yeah. This one has a strange pattern and it would be hard for me to know what the pattern is." Tenten replied bluntly. "For a simple lock, it even takes me about ten minutes or so."

"You need practice dude."

"Yeah, I'm going to tell my mom."

Hinata smiled sadly.

-----

Everyone clambered inside a yacht together with about twenty other speed boats as they headed to the Mediterranean.

"Do you think we would make it in time?" Naruto asked, nervous.

"At the speed we're going… we will." Zaibatsu replied. "I hope."

Neji sighed as he slumped on a sofa and rubbed his temples.

"Dammit."

"Calm down Neji." Setsuko said. "I know you're worried but all we can do now is wait."

---

"Done." Tenten said as she sat down and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "Damn that was hard."

"Good job Tenten. Now the same guys are still roaming around. You guys ready?"

"Whoa, wait, let me rest first." Tenten protested.

"Okay ten minutes." Sakura smiled. "You need something as an award anyway."

The four sat down in silence, contemplating whether they would survive this test or not. Sakura was the one who was worrying the most since she was the one responsible for all of this. She sighed as she rested her back on one cold wall. Tenten was lying on the floor.

Ten minutes later…

"Let's go?" Sakura asked. The other three looked at her worriedly.

"Sakura…"

Sakura started to have tears in her eyes as they went into a group hug.

"We're going to be able to get out here. We've been through high and low and this is our biggest challenge yet." Ino whispered as the three nodded in agreement.

When they separated, Sakura nodded at them as they covered their noses with their hands.

"Ready?"

Nod.

Sakura slightly opened the door as she threw the sleeping bomb. As expected, the guards started panicking but soon they dropped unto the floor. Sakura waved her hand as the three nodded and ran out and towards the spiral staircase.

When Sakura saw that the coast was clear, she ran up and met with the girls.

"Go! Go!" Sakura said as they ran up the stairs faster with Sakura on the lead. When they reached the end, they saw themselves in an intersection but it looked like a cemented tunnel.

"Left or right?" Tenten asked.

"Right." Sakura ran as the others followed suit. They found themselves in a series of tunnels until they found a cemented stairway leading to a large brass door.

"Why (pant) aren't guards (pant) patrolling here?" Ino asked as they ran up the staircase.

"I have no idea." Sakura said in one breath as they stopped in front of the doors and panted.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOUF FOUR DOING THERE!" A voice boomed as they looked down and saw about three guards. Sakura pulled out several needles.

"Duck!" She said to the girls as they ducked and threw the needles at the men, killing them in an instant. Sakura gave one needle to Tenten as she nodded and tried to pick the lock. In a matter of two minutes, the door opened.

It was a large hallway and Sakura saw herself being stared by two men who were the door guards.

"Ehehehe…"

"Sakura! Go!" Ino hissed.

Sakura sighed as when one of them started gunning them, Ino and Tenten screamed as Sakura closed the door for protection then reopened them again. She then zoomed towards the man and killed both of them in an instant.

"I think they've probably heard the gun shots." Tenten said as they hurriedly came out.

"Shit. Hold hands! We can't afford to get lost! Go! Go! Go!" Sakura said as the three joined hands and left. Sakura was the one on the lead of course and they turned right, then left, then two rights and one left. On the way there, Sakura killed numerous men making her feel exhausted.

"Guys (pant) we need (pant) to rest a bit (pant) I feel exhausted!" Sakura yelled.

"No we can't! Look!" Tenten said, pointing about twenty men carrying guns following them. They gave them a series of gun shots and unfortunately, Hinata got hit on the shoulder.

"Oh my God! Hinata! Hinata!" Ino said as she caught Hinata before she could drop on the floor. Sakura panicked as she ran to the twenty men, got hit two times (but didn't mind, amazing woman) and killed all of them (she got hit on the left leg and on the right arm).

But she felt that she's about to collapse.

"I-Ino! Ten—ten! Carry Hinata!" Sakura said as she hurriedly limped towards them.

"Sakura!"

"Go!"

Sakura was almost left behind as she limped with them. Her right leg was already killing her because she was already exhausted and she and Hinata were losing too much blood. Hinata was currently on Tenten's back.

It was then when Sakura dropped on the floor.

"Sakura!" Ino yelled as she ran back to her. Sakura groaned as she threw a series of needles over her shoulder and killed five men.

"I—won't make it." Sakura said, clutching her wound.

"No you must!" Ino protested as she heaved Sakura unto her back. "Come on! We can still make it! You can still make it Sakura! Just hold on!"

Sakura tried not to close her eyes.

"I'll—try."

"Tenten! LET'S GO!" Ino said as the two of them ran. Hinata was already unconscious and both she and Sakura were on the verge of death.

"Hinata! Sakura! Please don't give up you guys!" Ino panted as they ran down a staircase and were met against forty men with Ran on the front. Ino and Tenten held their breaths as Sakura slowly opened her eyes.

"Well, trying to escape are we?" Ran said, crossing her arms.

"Ino…" Sakura whispered in her ear. "Look at the left. There's—a glass… window…"

Ino signaled Tenten as she nodded and they both ran towards the glass window. Ran's eyes widened as she looked at her men.

"Don't just stand there! Put them down!"

They gave them a barrage of gun shots but fortunately, they were already crashing through the window and fell down to a pool. The pool almost instantly went into a light shade of red as Tenten and Ino dragged Hinata and Sakura out of the pool and heaved them again in their backs.

"My God I'm beat!" Ino said as they went into a mini-forest. Tenten and Ino's legs were about to give up and they were extremely exhausted but they kept on running. They could hear the men following them.

"They're nearby." Tenten panted as she tripped over an uprooted root.

"Tenten!"

Tenten hurriedly tried to heave Hinata and was helped by Ino before running off again. Until they ended up in a cliff.

"Oh no!" Ino rested her hands on her knees before adjusting Sakura that was on her back.

"Ino! To the left! To the left!" Tenten said as they ran to that direction. Ino almost tripped but Sakura helped her. Tenten and Ino ran as fast as they could but they got slower and slower each passing second. They soon found themselves lost in a vast forest.

"Tenten! I can't (pant) hear them anymore! (pant) Let's stop!" Ino said as she fell to her knees. Tenten nodded as she placed Hinata on the ground and stared at her.

"Hinata lost too much blood but she's still alive." Tenten said, checking her. Ino grew worried about Sakura.

"Sakura… her breathing is getting hollow. I think she may not make it Tenten." Ino began crying. "Tenten… I'm scared."

Tenten went to check Sakura. True, her breathing is getting hollow and she was pretty pale.

"No Ino. Don't lose hope. She's still alive… Sakura's strong and she will make it." Tenten tried to suppress her tears as she torn her sleeve and wrapped it around Sakura's wound so that it may stop bleeding. Ino did the same to Hinata.

Sakura coughed out blood.

"Sakura, just hang on." Tenten said.

"Hinata's still unconscious."

Tenten looked on the side to make sure no one is around. Then she went up to the tree to find out their whereabouts.

"Ino, we need to reach the harbor. It's going to take ten minutes of running."

Ino puked (when you're running for a long time, there's a big possibility that you would puke). Tenten went to her and rubbed her back.

"Ino, you can do it."

Ino continued on puking.

"Damn." Tenten cursed. This is SO not going well.

"OVER HERE!" One of the men screamed.

"Ino! Ino! We need to get outta here!" Tenten hissed as Ino nodded. "Listen, if we give up now, all of Sakura's efforts would go to waste. Let's go!"

Ino heaved Hinata this time because she was lighter as they ran to the southwest direction towards the harbor. Tears were already streaming down Ino's eyes because of fear and they tried not to make any noise so that they won't attract attention from the men.

5 minutes later…

"Tenten! (pant) I can't (pant) take it (pant) anymore!" Ino said, leaning her hand on the trunk of one tree with the other holding Hinata in place.

Tenten was also exhausted but she saw something that was heading towards Ino.

"INO! LOOK OUT!"

Tenten let go of Sakura as she dropped on the floor and blocked the object for Ino. Ino's eyes widened as an arrow hit Tenten on the far right shoulder and Tenten fell onto her knees.

"Tenten!"

"Ino—l—listen… take—take the arrow off me." Tenten said, panting. "Hurry up or they'll catch up on us!"

Ino nodded shakily as she took the arrow off. Tenten screamed in agony then crawled towards Sakura. She then tried her best as she heaved her again on her back.

"Tenten…" Sakura mumbled.

Tenten smiled weakly as they resumed running. Thankfully, they reached the harbor earlier than expected and tried to find something to use as an escape. Ino pulled her arm as she dragged Tenten towards a hidden cave.

"They won't find us here." Ino said.

"Yeah but I can't see anything!"

"Deal with it!"

Tenten and Ino panted as they rested on the cave for a while. Ino had to torn her last sleeve again to cover up Tenten's wound.

"Ya know, you shouldn't have acted like a hero." Ino scolded her.

"but an arrow was heading towards you. I just did it because I thought it was right. IF you were hit, you would've probably collapsed by now." Tenten said, smirking while shaking. Ino stared at her worriedly as she glanced at her other two fallen comrades. Then she checked Sakura.

"Tenten…"

"What?"

"Sakura… she's not breathing anymore…"

----

A.N.: Review!

E.I.


	30. Chapter 30

E.I.: Ei… guys…

Naruto: Yeah?

E.I.: Where's--?

Naruto: Who?

Ino: Oh him? He's out.

E.I.: Why?

Tenten: He went to buy some lunch.

Hinata: Why are you looking for him E.I.?

E.I.: Nothing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

---

"Shit!" Tenten said as she crawled towards Sakura's limp body. Ino tried to find a pulse but it was too weak.

"Sakura… Sakura! Please don't die!" Ino cried helplessly as she held her best friend's right hand. Her hand was pretty cold which made Ino feel even more nervous. Tenten looked helplessly at her then back at the unconscious Hinata.

'_Big forehead girl! Don't tell me you're going to give up now!'_

"Sakura… just listen to my voice…! Listen to me and stay with us!" Tenten said, trying to keep her. "I know someone's coming to save us… I could feel them… please just hang on… everything would be fine soon… please Sakura…"

Tears fell from Tenten's chocolate eyes and fell on Sakura's hand that she was holding on to.

"Where are they?" One man sounded from afar as Ino and Tenten looked at each other. It was then Ino clasped her hands together and started to pray frantically. Tenten grabbed some needles from Sakura's needle pouch and held them tightly, covering her friends.

"Please… Kami-sama… help us…" Ino said, tears continuously pouring from her eyes. "Don't let us die here… we beg you…"

Tenten glanced at Ino then her eyebrows met when she heart approaching footsteps.

----

"Mom… mom…" Neji said, walking towards his mother who was on the lobby, watching the sea. "Mom, I feel like something happened to Sakura…"

Setsuko began to worry.

"Neji…"

"Something happened… and I don't like it one bit." Neji replied worriedly. "I feel so helpless just by sitting here while she's over there, risking her life for them…"

Setsuko approached her son and hugged him.

"She's fine Neji… Trust me…"

----

Tenten found some vines as she hurriedly moved them so that the men won't see the entrance. The entrance is small that's why it is almost impossible for them to see it. She could already hear Hinata's low breathing and Ino's whispers.

"Ino." Tenten whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Check Sakura's pulse again. And Hinata's pulse as well." She replied. "We need to know their conditions every now and then."

Ino nodded as she checked Hinata's pulse first.

"Hinata's pulse is getting weak."

"Now check Sakura's pulse."

Ino obliged to her command.

She instantly grew pale.

"Tenten… Sakura's… Sakura's…" Tears fell from Ino's eyes once again but this time, they fell down stronger than before. "Sakura's… No…"

Ino tried to find her pulse through the other pulse sites. And she started to panic. Tenten's grip on the needle weakened as she stared at the panicking Ino. She could feel all hope being drained from her system as she watched her friend.

"Ino…"

"No! No! No!" Ino hissed. "Big forehead girl!"

"Ino… Ino! Get a grip!" Tenten said, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her a bit. "We could do CPR! Maybe it could save her! Just calm down okay?"

Ino stared at her then shakily nodded.

"Good. Now do it while I stay on guard." Tenten said, earning another nod from the blonde. "Do it properly okay?"

Ino nodded and started to do the CPR. They knew about the CPR because Sakura taught them when they were staying over night in her house. Sakura loved teaching them some medical techniques and they were also interested… well… except Tenten and Ino.

"Please Sakura!" Ino said, pumping into Sakura's chest. "Breathe! Breathe!"

"Ino, not too loud. They're just nearby." Tenten said, hearing some men yelling nearby. "We can't afford getting discovered."

Ino panicked even more as she frantically pumped into Sakura's chest for two whole minutes. She then lost hope and began banging her hands on her chest.

"God dammit big forehead! Why won't you wake up!"

Sakura coughed as Ino's eyes widened.

"Sakura?"

"Ino! Sssh!" Tenten hissed.

"Did you hear that?" A manly voice said.

"Hear what?"

"I think I just heard somebody talking."

"Duh, I was talking."

"No. It was more like a female's voice."

Tenten and Ino unconsciously stopped breathing in nervousness as they stared at the entrance. Tenten gripped the needle even more, ready for any attack while keeping her eyes open because her wound was killing her.

"Nope. They're not here." The other man said, making Tenten and Ino sigh in relief as their footsteps faded away.

Sakura's face creased in pain as she slowly opened her eyes and found a blonde with blue eyes staring right down at her. Her surroundings were pretty dark and it took two whole minutes before her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Where—"Sakura started but winced at the jolt of pain. "Tenten—Ino…"

Ino and Tenten looked at each other happily as they crawled towards Sakura.

"Ino—help me sit up." She coughed.

Ino looked at Tenten as Tenten nodded. Ino smiled as she helped Sakura sit up. Sakura glanced at Hinata's immobile body as she placed her hand on her leg where her wound was located.

"Where—where are we?" Sakura couldn't talk properly.

"Inside a cave, beside a harbor. We escape while carrying you and Tenten here got hit by an arrow on her shoulder." Ino said, pointing Tenten with her thumb. "She saved me."

"So—y—you two… ran…?"

"Yeah."

Sakura smiled weakly as she winced again and was about to collapse for the second time but Ino caught her.

"Sakura, please, you need some rest… you lost too much blood and you almost died earlier…"

"You're amazing you know that? One moment you're dying and the next thing we know, you're already talking to us. Damn, how could you recover so quickly?" Tenten smiled, trying to block out the pain that was coming from her wound.

Sakura just kept on smiling.

"I have—n—no idea." She choked.

"Hmm… that's why Neji fell in love with you." Tenten said, laughing weakly.

"Don't forget about Sasuke." Ino corrected her.

Night had arrived at the atmosphere was getting colder and colder. Hinata gained consciousness two hours earlier but both she and Sakura were still too weak to move by themselves. The two were also falling in and out of consciousness every now and then.

"Tenten, why don't you start a fire?" Ino asked, rubbing her own shoulders for warmth.

"We can't afford being seen." Tenten replied roughly, blowing into her palms. "They would see the light and would eventually lead them to the entrance. Do you want that to happen?"

Ino didn't reply. Instead, she glanced at the half-conscious Hinata and the unconscious Sakura.

"What about them? They'll freeze to death."

Tenten just bowed her head and they shared another moment of silence.

"Tenten…"

"Yeah?"

Ino frowned.

"Do you think that they'll make it till tomorrow?" Ino said sadly. "I didn't even know that Mediterranean nights could be so cold."

"We're beside the sea."

"Right. But do you think Sakura and Hinata will make it? Do you think we could get out of here alive?"

Tenten looked at her and had no idea what to say. Sakura and Hinata are both dying and all of them were trapped inside a dingy cave.

"I…"

Ino sighed.

"That's okay. You don't need to answer me."

"Ino…"

Ino hugged her knees.

"I can't believe this is happening to us… and I can't imagine losing Sakura, you or Hinata. You guys… you guys are like my sisters…" she started, and her voice started shaking. "We're trapped here in this cave with two of them dying and you're suffering from a wound."

Tenten sighed as she hugged Ino.

"Everything would be fine Ino… trust me… there's always a solution to all problems… just don't give up and don't lose hope."

Ino cried.

----

"Hey Shikamaru." Naruto greeted the brooding genius as he sat on the bar stool beside him. Neji was the one inside the bar and was trying to find something to drink while Sasuke was on one sofa, staring at his glass.

"Hn." Shikamaru replied, gulping down a shot.

"Damn, where is it." Neji mumbled. "I swear dad placed it in here."

"Now Neji, tell me again why we didn't take a plane instead?" Naruto asked, staring at the liquid that has been poured unto his glass by Shikamaru. "I swear that a plane moves faster than a yacht."

"We can't afford getting seen Naruto. If we would land, we would be attacked. If we would use parachutes, we would be shot down. It's an island remember?" Neji replied. "Ah, here it is."

He pulled out a bottle.

"What's that Neji?" Shikamaru asked, shaking his glass a bit.

"It's my dad's finest wine." He replied grimly as he tried to find a glass. "He made me taste a bit a few years ago and it was pretty good."

He bent down and found one glass as he placed it on the table and opened the bottle. Sasuke sighed as he got up from the sofa and went to the bar with the guys. He sat beside Naruto.

"Damn Sasuke, you look awful." Naruto said. Sasuke smirked but didn't reply. Instead, when Neji finished pouring the wine, he grabbed it and put some in his own glass and started drinking. The four of them were already frustrated and anxious.

"When are we going to arrive?" Naruto sounded.

"Maybe tomorrow morning." Shikamaru replied lazily. They shared another moment of silence.

"Hey, aren't you guys too young to drink?" someone sounded as they turned their heads and saw Hizashi, Hiashi, Inoshi, Tenten's dad and Zaibatsu coming into the bar. The boys just stared at them and resumed drinking.

"Anyway, who cares." Inoshi said. "At a time like this any man would want a nice drink."

"I agree." Tenten's dad replied grimly. Zaibatsu just smirked and sat down on the sofa Sasuke was sitting on earlier. Hizashi and Hiashi smiled as they went inside the bar and tried to find their own respective drinks. Hizashi saw his dear wine on the table.

"Neji."

Neji just gave him an innocent face.

"That's my wine." He said, pointing the bottle.

"Yeah."

"Why is that on the table?"

"We drank from it, obviously." Neji replied, his voice sounded bored. "I just can't help it dad. This wine is delicious."

"I want some of that wine too." Zaibatsu sounded, smiling.

---

It was already one in the morning when Tenten opened her eyes. She was beside Ino, who was now hugging her arm, maybe trying to find some warmth. She glanced at her two other friends.

She blinked.

'_Wait… where's Sakura?'_

----

A.N.: Review!


	31. Chapter 31

Author: Okay, I am now updating nonstop and my eye bags are growing darker and darker and my mom is already scolding me because of it. Hey guys, I'm sorry if it took me a hella long time before I updated because school work is mounting up…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

"Ino! Ino!" Tenten shook Ino as the blonde girl drowsily opened her eyes and looked at the brunette. Tenten looked terrified.

"Tenten—w—(yawn)—what's the matter?" Ino asked, stretching her body which was now aching badly. Tenten pointed the place where Sakura was earlier.

"Sakura's gone!"

Ino's eyes widened as she blinked a few times, making sure it wasn't a hallucination.

"Oh my God! Where is she!" She whispered as Tenten opened the vines and checked if there are men or not. Some of the men were still roaming around the area. Tenten gritted her teeth in frustration and annoyance.

"Tenten!" Ino said, horrified. "Where is she!"

"I don't know!"

----

Ran was inside the training area of her mansion, walking back and forth. The girls had escaped and they still couldn't find her. She was training when the men reported their escape. And she was already alone since she ordered her instructor to leave her alone.

"Why are you walking back and forth like that? Maybe you should cut off caffeine."

Ran jumped in surprise as she turned her head and saw Haruno Sakura, standing with a katana on her right hand. Her clothes were already bloody.

Ran's eyes grew from horrified, to nervous.

"Looks like some of them shot you two times. I should reward them."

Sakura smirked.

"Reward them when they're already dead?"

Ran slightly gasped.

"Now it's time to settle the score once and for all Ran Suboshi." Sakura said, drawing the katana from the case. "Get your sword and fight me like a real warrior. I'll make you pay for hurting my friends."

Ran took her sword that was displayed from the wall and took it out.

"Bring it on, big-forehead."

----

"Think Tenten! Think!" Tenten thought as she whammed her head with her palm. "Where would Sakura go!"

"It's impossible the men took her. If they found us, then they would've included us too." Ino said, checking on Hinata. Tenten gritted her teeth once again as she rubbed her arms to get warm. Tenten felt like she would go insane.

"Tenten…"

"What?"

"Look." Ino said, taking a circular thing from the sand. "This is one of the tracking devices Shikamaru's company made…"

"How the hell did you know that?" Tenten asked, eyeing the thing.

"I listen to him." Ino said in a matter-of-fact tone. "He showed to Naruto when they were on the hallway."

"You really are a stalker aren't you?" Tenten smiled.

"Never mind that. What is it doing here?"

Tenten and Ino looked at each other.

----

"We're nearing the island." Naruto said, seeing the island.

"Naruto." Shikamaru said, giving him a diver's suit.

"What… what are we going to do with this thing?" Naruto asked. "Dive underwater and sneak into the island?"

Shikamaru stared at him.

"When did you get so smart?"

Naruto gave him the fox grin.

"I'm already smart."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and started putting on the diver's suit.

"You're right. The yacht is too noticeable. Neji and Sasuke are also changing into their suits. We're going to sneak in. All of us… except the mothers and Zaibatsu. He's too old." Shikamaru said. "And bring this with you."

He threw Naruto a gun and some bags (bullet refills).

"Make sure to use them wisely. We can't afford to run out of bullets." Shikamaru said. "There are about hundreds of guards there."

Naruto started to put on the suit.

"So what's the plan Shikamaru?"

"The girls had been in one location since last night. We're going to shoot the men nearest to us. The guns have silencers so it won't be too loud. Neji and the others would rescue the girls. One of the crew of the yacht would get out in a speedboat and we would escape. Don't try anything stupid okay?"

Naruto glared at him.

"Am I the one who makes stupid things?"

"Nope." Shikamaru said sarcastically. "You never do stupid things Naruto. Never."

Naruto smiled.

"Glad you know."

Neji emerged wearing a diver's suit and his hair was on a bun. Naruto burst out laughing. Shikamaru was snickering.

"And what's so funny fox face?"

"HAHAH! NEJI LOOKS SO GAY!" Naruto said as Sasuke emerged from another room. When he saw Neji, he smiled.

"You look like a girl with a guy's body."

"Oh shut up." Neji said in an annoyed tone. "Let's go before they'll die."

Sasuke emerged from one room and his attention was instantly diverted to Neji who was now heaving the oxygen tanks in his back.

"Whoa." He said, smirking. "Sakura should think twice about you."

Neji stared at him.

"Shut up or I'll kill you. I'm not in the mood." He replied grimly. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he went to his respective oxygen tank. Naruto was still snickering while Shikamaru was checking his phone.

"They're still in one location. I think it's on a cave."

----

Tenten winced at the pain because her wound was already reacting. Maybe it's starting to get infected. Ino was checking up on her, then at Hinata while getting frustrated about Sakura's whereabouts.

"Ino, could you please calm down?" Tenten asked though gritted teeth.

"How can I calm down! Sakura's gone!" Ino hissed back at her. "Aren't you at least worried about her Tenten!"

"I am worried but I'm not going to be able to think well if you keep on moving around!" Tenten hissed back.

----

Ran was slammed on the wall with a slightly bloody hand. But she was able to stab the gun wound on Sakura's shoulder which made Sakura feel severe pain. Sakura's hand was on the wound while the other one was holding on to the katana.

"Damn it." Sakura said. "Not now! Don't collapse!"

She knew that she lost too much blood already and Ran has the upper hand since she is having a severe injury. She also knows that Ran improved big time since she's been having some training sessions with a martial arts and weapons master.

"Don't even think of giving up Haruno. Or I'll get disappointed." Ran said, smiling while standing up.

'_WHAT THE FUCK! ISN'T SHE AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT AFFECTED BY HER WOUND!'_

"Unlike before, my threshold for pain is… much, much higher now." Ran boasted. "Higher than yours."

Sakura tried to stand up.

"Hn. Doesn't matter. You're still a loser."

----

"Ready guys?" Neji asked as they nodded. All of them submerged under the water and started diving into the island. The mothers/wives clasped their hands together and prayed for their safety while Zaibatsu was still trying to contact Ran's father.

"He's rejecting my call." Zaibatsu groaned as he dialed another number. "Contact Mr. Suboshi for me."

----

Fear and worry was overwhelming Neji as he dived side-by-side with the boys. He felt so frustrated that he wanted to go faster and save Sakura and the others. He was thinking of what probably happened to them and some of them were not pretty.

'_Sakura… hold on… I'm coming.'_

Naruto glanced at Neji's face and noticed that his eyebrows were meeting. He knew that he was worried about Sakura. He too, is worried about the girls but patience is one of the most important factors that are going to be needed here.

He cautiously tapped Neji's shoulder as the Hyuuga looked at him and Naruto returned it with a thumbs up. Neji nodded as they went faster.

----

Sakura was thrown unto the wall as the wall broke into pieces making her tumble outside the training area. She was now brutally wounded but she had no option but she had to fight. She won't let these injuries get over her. Ran was winning.

"Stand up big-forehead girl." Ran smirked. Sakura coughed out blood as she held the katana tighter. Ran was walking towards her, her eyes showing the dangerous lust to kill. If Sakura would just sit there, she would surely die.

She stood up and ran towards Ran as their swords clashed together.

"Y-You can't defeat me." Ran said, struggling through the sword. Sakura forced a smile.

"Oh Really?"

Ran noticed that her mouth was slightly moving and had a slight idea on what she was going to do. She quickly jumped away as Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled a large amount of purple gas. Ran quickly covered her nose knowing it was poison.

"Seems like you aren't that dumb after all." Sakura smirked. "Poison mist."

Ran smirked as she took advantage of the poison and charged at Sakura. Sakura expected her as they clashed their katanas every now and then. When they were on a sword lock, Ran withdrew a dagger and threw it, hitting Sakura's leg wound.

Sakura gritted her teeth in agony as she jumped back and stumbled unto the floor.

'_This is SO not good.'_

The purple gas cleared out but Ran had to wait for ten seconds before breathing in normal mode. She felt slightly dizzy because she was able to inhale a slightly large amount of gas when she was caught off guard.

"I must admit you really impressed me with that poison mist of yours." Ran said, smiling while trying to keep her eyesight in good condition.

"Glad to know that." Sakura said, standing up and charged towards her again.

---

Tenten and Ino sat side-by-side in silence while trying to think on what to do with Hinata who was still struggling between life and death and Sakura who just disappeared.

Suddenly, they heard some slightly low gun shots and some men screaming.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! WE'RE UNDER A—"

"Hurry! Hurry! Over here! Over here!" Tenten and Ino heard some familiar voices as they looked at each other in confusion.

"I think I'm hearing voices." Tenten said.

"You're not the only one." Ino replied.

"Eh? It's just a bunch of vines." Another familiar voice said as they noticed that the bunch of vines were moving.

The next thing they saw were a pair of cerulean eyes.

"GASP! THEY'RE HERE!" Naruto yelled. Tenten and Ino felt relief rush over their bodies as they threw themselves at Naruto, thanking God for their rescuer.

"Thank you Naruto!" Tenten and Ino yelled at the same time and because of too much relief, they cried.

"Ahem." Shikamaru sounded as Ino looked up and saw the man of her dreams in a diving suit with a gun on one hand and a cell phone on the other. "SHIKAMARU!"

"Ino!" Inoshi yelled as he hugged his daughter. "Thank God! Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Are you wounded?"

"Dad, relax. I'm fine." Ino said, smiling.

"TENTEN!" Tenten's dad yelled as he engaged his wounded daughter in a rib-cracking hug. "Thank goodness! Oh…"

"DAD! Choking—not—breathing!" Tenten said as she winced in pain. Her dad smiled as he let go of her. "Geez dad, you almost killed me."

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled as Hiashi whipped his head and looked under the cave. His daughter was lying on the sand, unconscious and was panting heavily. "Oh my God! Hinata!"

Naruto heaved Hinata as he pulled her out of the cave and into Hiashi's arms. Neji looked under the cave to find any traces of a pink-haired girl but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Sakura?" Sasuke asked Ino. Ino and Tenten looked at each other. Neji looked aggravated as Naruto shot a man that was about to shoot Neji. But Neji paid no heed. He was worried about Sakura and he has to know where she is.

"She just disappeared this morning leaving Shikamaru's tracking device." Ino said. "But we have to save Hinata… she was shot and she's moving in and out of consciousness! She's going to die if she won't send her to a hospital."

"Uncle, you go ahead. Naruto, Shikamaru, Sasuke, come with me." Neji said. "We're going to find Sakura."

"Neji, don't tell me you're going off alone!" Hizashi protested. "I won't allow you!"

"Dad! Sakura's in trouble! I could feel that she's still here and she needs my help! Come on!" Neji said as they ran off. Neji found a black car as he clambered in as the boys followed suit. Sasuke and Neji were in the front while Shikamaru and Naruto were on the back.

"What about the key?" Sasuke asked. Neji smirked as he pulled out a pin from his bun as his hair dropped unto his back. He then placed the pin on the key hole and was able to start the car. He looked at Sasuke with a triumphant smile.

"Never mind the key. Step on it." Sasuke said as Neji sped off.

The car was going on to such a fascinating speed that it was though they were on a race track. Naruto felt like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Neji! Damn man! Slow down!" Naruto yelled while holding on to his seat. Sasuke looked nonchalant since he is also frequently driving his car on such a violent speed. Shikamaru even yawned since he was Sasuke's usual passenger.

"You'll get used to it Naruto." Shikamaru said. Neji turned to a corner making the car tilt sideways then back into place. Naruto was panting heavily as he prayed to God that he would still be alive after this. Sasuke looked at Neji.

"Do you have any idea where we are going?"

"Guys, refill your guns." He smiled. "Coz we're going to attack Ran's mansion."

Shikamaru and Naruto looked at each other.

"Of course, they're childhood friends remember?" Sasuke answered their confusion. "So it's possible that he's been here for a million times."

"I can't believe my child hood friend could do this." Neji said. "God, she looked so nice and innocent back then."

"Looks could kill." Shikamaru mumbled.

"Besides, she's goo-goo gaga over you." Sasuke added. "Who could blame her?"

"Damn Neji, how do you do that?" Naruto asked.

"Do what?"

"Having girls go gaga over you."

"Ask Sasuke, not me. He has more admirers than I do."

"Ha. So you finally admit it." Sasuke said.

"Don't count on it." Neji smirked. "I'm still better looking than you."

"So why does Sasuke have more admirers?" Naruto asked.

"Is it me or are you taking Sasuke's side now?" Neji asked. Suddenly, they heard a gun shot and it hit the back glass, missing Shikamaru by inches. They looked back and saw about two cars following them filled with Ran's minions.

"Shit!" Naruto hissed, quickly refilling his gun. "This is SO not cool."

Sasuke opened the wind shield as he held on to the window and shot the front tires of the first car (God! By just imagining it… he looks so freaking hot!). His hair ruffled with the wind as Naruto went out from the other window and shot the other car.

"That was awesome!" Naruto yelled, smiling. Sasuke smirked as the two cars swiveled around and came to a stop but the men kept on shooting them.

Sasuke and Naruto quickly went back unto the car.

"God I feel like I'm in an action movie!"

Neji smirked.

"It's more than that."

---

A.N.: Review!


	32. Chapter 32

A.N.: Hee hee!

----

"Neji! More incoming!" Shikamaru said, looking back. About ten men, in motorbikes were speeding towards them. And three other cars followed.

"If this is going to continue, we're going to run out of bullets!" Sasuke said, going out of the window and shot the first man in the motorbike nearest to them. "Shikamaru! Naruto! Help me out!"

"Troublesome." He muttered as he pulled out a machine gun (?) and went out of the window with Naruto.

"Naruto! I'll be the one to deal with them! Hold me so that I won't fall off!" Shikamaru's voice was slightly blocked by the wind as Naruto nodded and held unto his waist. Sasuke shot the other men as Shikamaru adjusted the machine gun and went into a killing spree.

"Hell yah baby!" Naruto cheered. "Shikamaru that was way awesome!"

Neji laughed. And before they knew it, everything became still as Shikamaru went back in.

"God that was cool." He mumbled.

'_I wish Ino was there to see me.'_

"Oh? Who are those guys?" Naruto asked, pointing two other men in motorbikes. But there was something strange about them. They looked like women.

"Oh… you guys take care of them. I won't kill women." Shikamaru said. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he went out and noticed something blonde protruding from the back of the helmet. The other one had curly brown hair.

"Company's here." Sasuke said, waving his hand. The two waved back.

"Eh? What do you mean teme?" Naruto asked as he protruded his head from the window.

"YO!" Ino's voice sounded as Shikamaru quickly went out.

"What the fuck? Are those the girls?" Neji said, eyeing the motorbikes from the mirror. Sasuke smirked as Shikamaru turned red noticing on how hot the girls looked in motorbikes. Ino was able to catch up on Shikamaru's window.

"Hey! Shikamaru! That was awesome!" Ino said, making Shikamaru blush even more (if that is possible). Sasuke smirked.

"How come you guys went to catch up on us?" Sasuke asked, as Neji lessened their speed. "I thought you guys were tired."

"We are but we won't let you rescue Sakura alone. We want to help." Ino replied. "Tenten insisted as well. Let's meet at the gates. We'll take care of the guards."

"Wait! But you don't have any weapons!" Naruto called out. Ino and Tenten pulled out their guns.

And they sped off.

"God they look hot." Naruto said.

"Let's complement them later. We need to get there ASAP." Neji said, stepping on the accelerator. "But I didn't know the girls could ride motorbikes."

"That just means that we don't know everything about them."

When they neared the gates, the girls immediately started shooting before they could even call some reinforcements. The boy's car followed suit as they stopped in a mini-forest located beside the gate to hide themselves.

"Okay… so what's the plan?" Naruto asked as he watched Ino and Tenten take off their helmets. They had their hairs on a ponytail. Shikamaru was still very red.

"Let's separate." Neji sounded, readying his gun.

----

A cloud of grayish dust infiltrated the area as both girls lie immobile on the floor, both wounded and both soaked in their own blood. Now, we can't guess on who's the one who has the upper hand.

"Dammit, won't you just give up?" Sakura mumbled while trying to stand up.

"W-Why Haruno? C-Can't keep up?" Ran spat back with a blood cough. "Give up Haruno."

Sakura panted as she got a broken glass from the floor and threw it at Ran who got hit by the upper right arm. Ran screamed in agony as Sakura took advantage of her screaming and attacked her with an amazing speed but she isn't as fast as before coz she's injured.

Sakura now had two swords as she attempted to stab ran unto the floor but Ran was able to roll away. Sakura gritted her teeth in annoyance as she grabbed a dagger and threw it at Ran's direction but she was able to dodge it again.

"Dammit."

When Ran rolled out, she grabbed a stray piece of broken glass and threw it at Sakura who caught it with two fingers and Sakura threw it back to her. Ran was able to see a gun nearby and grabbed it. She instantly shot Sakura two times that hit her on the left shoulder and on the stomach.

"AAAAARRGGGGGGGH!" Sakura rolled in the ground in intense agony and felt like she was going to lose and die. Ran stumbled as she stood up and dragged the katana in one hand with the gun on the other. Sakura violently coughed out blood.

Sakura's vision grew blurry as she looked into the side as saw guards starting to come to their spot. Fear grew inside Sakura and imagined on not seeing Neji ever again.

"Neji…" She murmured.

"He's mine Haruno." Ran growled in between breaths.

The guards covered the area.

"I'll handle her myself." Ran said to them. "Leave us."

The guards looked at each other.

"LEAVE!" Ran yelled. The guards started to leave one by one. Ran though the guards were just a nuisance. Killing Sakura alone would be nice…

She glanced down and saw Haruno Sakura, beaten on the ground and dying.

"I'll give you a favor Haruno… I'll make your death instant."

Sakura just coughed out blood.

'_Neji… I love you…'_

----

A.N.: Review!


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Neji was already desperate on finding Sakura and felt that she was into more danger. His heart ached for her and his legs were telling him to run. Naruto was looking around with a gun in his hand.

"Where do you think she is Neji?" Naruto whispered.

"Let's separate. I'll go left and you'll go right. Don't do anything stupid or it'll be your head. Got that?" Neji spat as Naruto threw him a glare and left without another word. Neji took a deep breath and continued on sneaking.

'_God Sakura! Where are you!'_

----

At Ino and Tenten…

"Found them yet?" Ino whispered through her earpiece.

"Nope." Shikamaru replied. Ino is currently with Tenten while Sasuke is with Shikamaru. Ino and Tenten stepped down a spiral staircase while their eyes scanned the area for any sign of men dressed in black.

Meanwhile…

"Shikamaru, I wonder why we haven't encountered any guards yet." Sasuke said. As if on cue, two guards appeared as they hurriedly hid behind a door.

"You were saying?" Shikamaru asked as they watched the guards.

"I think she's really desperate on killing that Haruno… you should've seen her eyes when she told us to leave them alone. The Haruno girl was already bloodshed on the ground. Poor girl."

Sasuke's eyes widened as fury engulfed him. Without second thoughts, he went out and grabbed the man and pointed the gun right to his head. Shikamaru sighed as he pointed his own gun unto the remaining man.

"Sasuke, you're so clumsy. You know that?" Shikamaru said, not taking his eyes off his victim.

"Where is Sakura?" Sasuke hissed. "You mentioned the Haruno girl earlier. Where the fuck is she?"

The man was panic stricken but he and the other man led them towards Ran and Sakura's whereabouts. Shikamaru turned on his earpiece.

"We found them. Head to the west wing and go straight until you reach the grounds. Hurry."

"Roger."

---

Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the impact as Ran raised her arm with a katana in her hand, ready to kill her. She couldn't believe that Ran was able to defeat her and she was going to die even before she could marry Neji.

"Die Haruno!"

BANG!

"ARGH!" Ran screamed in agony as she held her bloodied hand. Sakura cracked an eye open and found the katana a few meters away from her while Ran was holding a bloodied hand. She fully opened her eyes and saw Neji running towards her while Naruto was pointing his gun towards Ran.

"Move… and die." Naruto warned.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Neji said as he heaved Sakura into his arms. Sasuke arrived at the scene and ran towards Sakura followed by Ino and Tenten.

"Sakura! You're so stupid! You got us all worried!" Ino yelled but she was already crying in happiness. Sasuke smiled at Sakura as she cried on Neji's arms. Neji scolded her gently for going to Ran while she was injured.

"If I wasn't been able to come, I would've lost you." Neji said.

"If you just stayed big forehead, none of this would've happened." Tenten said. Sakura coughed out blood as she smiled.

"Sorry." Sakura whispered.

----

Sakura was sent to the speed boat immediately as they all cheered in happiness and Zaibatsu couldn't help it but give Sakura a mighty big hug. Setsuko did as well. Sasuke and Naruto were the ones holding Ran (her hands were placed behind her).

Zaibatsu approached the girl with fury in his eyes as some of them watched the helicopters land.

And much to everyone's surprise, Zaibatsu gave the girl a mighty slap in the face. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other as they looked back at Zaibatsu.

"Stupid girl. If you really loved Neji then you'd have to let go of him even when it is painful to do so." He said calmly but rage was showing in his eyes. "Look at what you did to my grand daughter."

Sakura watched the scene from the speedboat that was ready to go.

"Grandpa… it's okay. I'm fine now. Tenten… help me up." Sakura said but Tenten looked queasy. Sakura gave her a 'help-me-up-or-I'll-get-mad' glare as Tenten obliged to her request/command and both she and Ino helped her towards Ran.

When she was already in front of her, Sakura told Ino and Tenten to let go of her. Sakura was able to stand up (not straight) and then she told Naruto and Sasuke to let go of her too.

"Sakura! What are you doing?" Zaibatsu asked.

Sasuke and Naruto only looked at each other in confusion.

"Let me talk to her. She isn't able to fight due to her wounds so don't worry. And she doesn't have any weapons with her." Sakura replied.

As expected, Ran didn't do anything as she only stared at Sakura.

"Ran…"

She raised out her hand.

"Thanks for that fight. That was the best fight I ever had."

Ran however, did not shake it. Instead, she just looked away.

"If Neji didn't come I would've killed you."

Neji was about to attack her out of fury but Sakura raised her hand telling him to stop. Sakura withdrew her hand and smiled at Ran.

"Yes, I know."

"Hmph."

"It may be painful for me to admit it but you're the only person who defeated me in a battle." Sakura said. Ran looked at her in shock. "And I look forward on fighting you again."

Ran smirked.

"Same here."

And they shook hands.

"And I also forgive you on what you've done… I can't blame you though, people's minds vary and you were just in love with Neji and you were afraid to let go of him. If that would happen to me, I would've done the same way." Sakura winked.

"Sakura!" Zaibatsu said.

"Just joking." Sakura giggled as she held Ran's hands.

"You deserve a second chance Ran and remember, the man of your dreams is right around the corner, waiting for you. That is… after you get out of the jail." Sakura chuckled. Ran had to smile weakly about Sakura's kindness.

"I really thought you were a bitch Sakura."

"I am. Depends on the mood."

Ran chuckled.

"Ah-huh."

The police arrived as Ran's father stormed to her and was about to smack her when Sakura stopped his arm.

"Please, Mr. Suboshi, give Ran a second chance."

"I'm sorry Haruno-sama but she deserves a punishment for taking the whole family into shame." He replied, trying to be calm. "And she's my daughter so I have the right to punish her."

Sakura let go of his hand.

"Just make sure she deserves the punishment." Sakura replied. "I'll see you soon Ran… and… remember the fight okay?"

Ran just nodded weakly (I mean, who wouldn't? She'll go to jail and she'll have a major punishment with her dad).

"Was that okay grandpa?"

Zaibatsu only looked at her.

"You really are like your mother." Zaibatsu gave her a hug. "You're always so kind to others."

"Wow that was awesome Sakura. I never thought you'd forgive that bitch." Ino said. "Though I'm a little bit disappointed. But who cares?"

"Ran is really a nice girl."

"Just got out of hand." Neji added.

"How long is she going to stay at the jail grandpa?" Sakura asked Zaibatsu as they went towards the waiting speed boat.

"About twenty years. Based on her offenses."

------

At the hospital…

"Big forehead." Neji said as he went inside. Sakura shot him a death glare.

"What is it freaky white eyes?" She spat back with a mocking smile. Neji smirked as he placed a bag of groceries on the table and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Remember, I'm not the only one with white eyes." He whispered in her ear. Sakura caught his collar and pulled him towards her so that their noses were just a few centimeters apart.

"Oh yeah? But don't worry, I love freaky white eyes. They're so unique." She whispered back seductively. Neji smiled as he kissed her passionately while his hands were leaning on the bed. Sakura smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Eew. You two! This is a hospital! Not a bedroom!" Ino said out loud as Neji and Sakura snapped up and separated. Sakura and Neji blushed as Neji straightened up. Ino is currently with Shikamaru, Naruto, Hinata and Tenten.

"Where's Sasuke?" Neji asked as they went in.

"He said he'll be here later." Naruto replied as he went to look out the window. "Anyway, the annual school festival is coming up and Sakura would be out by that time."

"And?" Ino, Sakura and Neji asked at the same time.

"Nothing. Do you have dates?"

"Obviously." Sakura and Neji said in unison.

"You don't need a date for the school festival Naruto." Shikamaru interrupted.

"Yeah but it's the student's informal tradition." Naruto argued.

A moment of silence…

"Do you have a date Naruto?" Sakura asked sheepishly while staring at Hinata. Hinata read Sakura's glare as she blushed and looked away. Naruto shook his head.

"Nope!"

"I don't have one either." Ino said.

Everyone fell silent…

"No way."

"That's impossible."

"Is it the end of the world?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Ino?"

"Oh no! A bad spirit has taken over her body!"

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Is it shocking for me not to have a date?" She asked, placing one hand on her hip.

"Yes." All of them replied. Ino looked like she has just been slapped in the face but Tenten was quick to comfort.

"And I think Shikamaru doesn't have one either. Right Shikamaru?" Neji asked. Shikamaru blushed as he nodded. Ino's mouth curved into a small (coughdevlishcough) smile. Shikamaru looked at Ino nervously but then only silence engulfed the room.

"Okay! Change topic!" Sakura said, trying to ward off the awkwardness between her friends.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Sasuke entered the room and all eyes were on him. He raised an eyebrow as he closed the door.

"What?"

"Do you have a date for this festival?" All of them asked him.

"Where did that come from?" He asked and placed his hands on his pockets. Sakura giggled as he went towards the mini-living room the others were in.

"We're just wondering." Tenten said.

"Well, if you wanna know. I don't have a date."

Sakura fell deep in thought as he clapped her hands together.

"Okay! I have an idea! What about… Naruto goes with Hinata, Shikamaru with Ino and Sasuke with Tenten? How's that?" Sakura asked as Tenten and Sasuke looked at each other and blushed. Neji smirked at their reactions.

"Don't argue!" Sakura said before Naruto could open his mouth.

Neji wanted to laugh at the scene.

----

A.N.: Review!


	34. Chapter 34

A.N.: I changed chapter 33 because yeah, the thing about Ran was really dull. And… don't worry, Tenten and Sasuke aren't going together (in a malicious way)… it's just… friends coz they haven't got a partner each.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

The next day, Sakura was currently alone inside the hospital while silently watching the scenery from the window. It was already afternoon so the weather wasn't that hot and the scenery was just oh-so-amazing. She couldn't believe on what just happened to her… it felt like it was just some odd dream.

She sighed.

"I wonder what Ran is doing right now." She mumbled to herself. "Maybe pondering on how to bust out of prison."

She chuckled.

She reached out for her laptop and opened and saw Neji online. It made her grin and give out a small squeal. Neji told her that he'll come later and maybe he's at his house, resting. Both she and Neji already changed their online names.

_**Byakuganlover: Hey.**_

_**Sakuralover: Good morning…! So… how are you? Are you alone?**_

_**Byakuganlover: Yup. Are you inside your house?**_

_**Sakuralover: Ah-huh. Mom and Dad are coming with me later when I'll visit you. **_

_**Byakuganlover: That's great!**_

_**Sakuralover: Is your injuries okay?**_

_**Byakuganlover: Yeah! Sure… don't worry. Anyway, are you going to shop on your outfit for the school festival?**_

_**Sakuralover: Yeah. We could shop together if you want to. It's fun to have uniform patterned kimonos. Lol**_

_**Byakuganlover: That's a great idea! …hey…Sasuke just texted me.**_

_**Sakuralover: What did he say?**_

_**Byakuganlover: He's currently inside his house and girls keep on calling him asking him out for the festival. It's driving him nuts. Until he finally cut the telephone line but the girls called him on his cell phone instead.**_

_**Sakuralover: LMAO.**_

_**Byakuganlover: Hey! What are you laughing about! You should help him!**_

**_Sakuralover: Sorry bear._**

_**Byakuganlover: Bear? Where did that come from?**_

_**Sakuralover: I dunno. For me, you're like a bear.**_

_**Byakuganlover: And why is that?**_

**_Sakuralover: You're like a bear when you get mad. ROAR! Lol_**

_**Byakuganlover: Why you…**_

_**Sakuralover: Oh come on Sakura, keep that temper of yours. It could hurt people. (pout)**_

Sakura imagined Neji pouting and realized how cute he looked like.

_**Byakuganlover: Hey… can you come earlier? I miss you already. (pout)**_

_**Sakuralover: (chuckle). Oh really?**_

_**Byakuganlover: Pwease? Pwetty pwease? I'm alone here and the room is creeping me out.**_

**_Sakuralover: The sun is still out. Don't worry. I didn't know you were such a chicken… _**

_**Byakuganlover: (sticks tongue out) Bleh! I am SO not a chicken.**_

**_Sakuralover: Then why are you asking me to come there earlier than usual?_**

_**Byakuganlover: Because… Ah, never mind.**_

_**Sakuralover: Lol. What time is it?**_

_**Byakuganlover: About five thirty. Why?**_

_**Sakuralover: I'll be there in thirty minutes.**_

_**Byakuganlover: What! Really?**_

_**Sakuralover: Yeah, yeah. I better sign out coz I still need to tell mom and dad and change. See you later. Love you!**_

_**Byakuganlover: Same here!**_

_**Sakuralover has signed off.**_

Sakura sighed in happiness as she closed her laptop and continued to stare out in the clouds. The sunset was beautiful and she was lucky enough to have a room that has a full view of it. Soon, a bluish bird landed on her window and started pecking on its wings.

Sakura continued to stare at the bird until another similar bird landed and poked the first bird. Sakura raised an eyebrow when the second bird helped take out a stick that was stuck on the first bird's wing. In return, the first bird gave the second bird a peck on the head.

"Aww…" Sakura realized that they were a couple. "I didn't know even birds could get sweet."

The two birds flew off.

"I hope you two will have a happy life!" She called out. "And have many children!"

She laughed at her actions as she laid back into her bed again and placed her hands under her head. Just thinking of the birds made her squeal and just by comparing them to her and Neji made her chuckle.

Then, she fell into deep thought.

She remembered all the things that happened between her and Neji, about Sasuke… everything. She didn't expect for her formerly worst enemy to be her one true love. If she would compare the past and the present… well…

Neji… Sakura hated him so much at first, and even planned on killing him due to her anger. He always pulled pranks at her, and made her cry. And when she and Sasuke first met, she was mad at him too. And she hated both of them more than her own life.

And then, the two, the two fought for her… for her love. Neji won, but Ran came in and ruined everything. Sasuke was the one who took over and Sakura loved him too, but not as much as she loved Neji. And about Ran getting obsessed and all…

"Life is so… complicated." She chuckled. "I'm getting married to the man I hated more than my own life. Well, I hated him before… okay… let's rephrase it… I'm getting married to the man I love but hated at first. Eh? That's just silly."

And she kept on talking to herself.

After a while, the door opened revealing Hyuuga Neji.

"Neji! Where are mom and dad?" Sakura asked as he greeted him with a peck on the cheeks. "I thought they're coming with you."

"They said they'll catch up." Neji replied softly and then he sat on the bed and looked around the room. "It's not so creepy."

Sakura glared at him.

"Try to stay here for one whole day alone." Sakura replied hotly. "And let's see if you could still say that."

Neji chuckled.

"I'll try to make you mad so that I could be confined in the hospital and see for myself." Neji replied. "Heck, maybe I would even end up in comatose mode if I make you mad."

Sakura lightly punched him in the arm.

"Meanie."

Neji chuckled.

"Oh, I bought something for you." He said as he took out a bento box. "I figured it would make you feel better."

Sakura opened the box and saw her favorite: Syrup-coated anko dumplings.

"Ooh!" Sakura squealed as she hugged Neji. "Thanks Neji! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Neji smiled.

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome. Now, eat." He said as he took one stick and served her. "Open your mouth and say 'ah'."

Sakura stared at him.

"I'm not a little girl."

"Yes you are." Neji cuddled.

Sakura pouted as she quickly took one ball from the stick and Neji ate the second. They continued on eating until Hizashi and Setsuko came in.

"Mom! Dad!" Neji and Sakura said at the same time. Setsuko beamed at them.

"I see you two are doing well." Setsuko said as she sat down on one chair beside Sakura's bed. "Sorry we weren't able to come here earlier. Hizashi-kun had to get something."

"That's okay. Hey, you wanna eat?" Sakura asked as she offered the dumplings which they politely refused.

"So how are you Sakura?" Hizashi asked.

"I'm fine dad. It's just my leg still hurts a bit… and I really wanna walk around now." Sakura complained as Setsuko chuckled.

"Just put a little patience Sakura… you'll be out soon."

Sakura smiled.

"Dad…?"

"Yeah?"

Neji liked Sakura calling his parents as though they were her own parents. So he just kept quiet and listened to the conversation.

"Is Ran okay? What about grandpa? Her dad?"

"Your grand father went back to Europe since he had something to settle. Ran's dad… well, he's still on the punishment process and Ran was placed under house arrest." Hizashi said. "Yeah, that's about it."

"I hope Ran's okay."

Neji smiled.

"I can't believe you're still worried about her after all the things that she has done to you." Neji said. "You're so unbelievable."

Sakura gave out a grin.

"Oh really?"

"Oh, and Sakura, your grand father wanted to say something to you." Hizashi said as Sakura looked at him. "He said that you should behave."

Neji chuckled. Sakura scowled.

"He thinks I'm still a little girl!"

"Which you are." Neji replied.

"No I'm not!"

"Now, now. Cut it out you two." Setsuko said. "Sakura, we're going to eat outside today… do you want to?"

"Of course mom. I'll be delighted." Sakura said. "But I can't."

The nurse came in with a wheel chair.

"Haruno-sama, you could get out of the hospital with this. Just as long as you return before the designated time." The nurse said softly to her, which made Sakura grin even wider. "Your condition is okay."

"Yes!" Sakura punched the air with her fist. He then went to search her bag for some clothes.

"Here." He said and then gave it to her. "You can wear these."

Hizashi and Neji turned around as Setsuko and the nurse helped her change. When she was done, Neji was the one who transferred her to the wheel chair and Setsuko helped Sakura fix her hair. When they were done, Neji volunteered to be the one pushing.

"Hey, don't push me into the street okay?" Sakura said making Neji glare at her.

"Do you think that I'm going to kill you?"

"No. But I don't trust you."

Neji gave her a menacing glare.

"Oh really?"

Sakura grinned.

"Just joking!"

Setsuko smiled at them as she interlocked her arm with her husband's.

"Come on you two, stop fighting and let's go."

---

A.N.: Review!


	35. Chapter 35

A.N.: Woo, it's been a long time since I updated this story since I was busy with my two other stories. So sorry guys… Ehehe.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

-----

Mall…

"What about this one? Or this? Or This? Or this? Or this? Or this?" Ino kept on shifting kimonos as the other stared at her. "What? I can't help it! They all look so cute!"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Then buy all of them if you think all of them are cute."

"Or do you want to try them ONE BY ONE?" Sakura asked, smiling. She was still on her wheel chair but by the school festival, which would happen by two days she would be able to walk again. Ino turned to Tenten for some opinion.

"Hey Sakura…" Neji poked her as Sakura turned her head. "Look."

He pointed a pattern. Sakura saw teddy bears.

"Are you joking or what?" She asked in an annoyed tone. "Stop teasing me to a bear. I'm not that scary when I get mad."

"Oh? You should look at yourself at the mirror whenever you get mad and you'll see." Neji smirked.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and started to push herself away from him.

"He—Hey Sakura!" Neji called out. "Come on! Don't be mad!"

They were all so noisy inside that some customers were growing annoyed by them. Sakura had to shut them up. Ino, being the most enthusiastic one of them all, was the loudest while Sasuke, the most uninterested one, looked like he was ready to go down six feet under.

Naruto was quiet, for the first time in years. Sakura noticed this (and also Hinata but she won't tell).

"Naruto? What's up?" She asked, pushing her wheelchair to him. "Something the matter? There's gotta be something."

Naruto looked at her.

"I'm—I'm alright Sakura. There's just something on my mind." He sighed and glanced at Hinata. Sakura looked at Naruto, then at Hinata, then back at Naruto. Her confused face turned into a face wearing a big smug smile.

"Ooh. I get it."

Naruto looked at her.

"Get what?"

"Nothing." She looked back at Ino who was trying a sterling blue kimono. "Hey Ino! I think you should buy that one! It's cute!"

Later, in the afternoon…

"Ne… Ne… Sakura." Naruto was the one pushing Sakura and they were behind the group. "I—I need to tell you something."

Sakura smiled.

"You don't need to tell me Naruto." Sakura replied. "I already know."

"R-Really?" he blushed. "C-C-Can you help me then?"

Sakura smiled sweetly at him.

"Sure. It would be a piece of cake."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Damn my legs hurt." Ino said while stomping her right foot. "Hey Sakura, stand up and I'll be the one to sit."

Sakura gave her a glare.

"Break your legs first and you'll be able to sit here." Sakura replied monotonously. "I'll be happy to change positions with you. My butt's burning due to prolonged sitting."

"Deal with it." Neji snapped. "You were the one who insisted on fighting Ran."

Sakura didn't say anything. She just looked at the other direction.

"Naruto, I'll be the one to push her now." Neji said softly as Naruto nodded. Naruto gave one last glance at Sakura who returned it with a nod. Neji looked at Naruto, then at Sakura, then back at Naruto with a confused face.

"What were you two talking about earlier anyway?" Neji asked.

"Nothing." Sakura sighed. "Hey, Neji-kun. You guys are like a band right? As far as I can remember… you could play drums… right?"

"Ah-huh." Neji smirked. "So, you still remember?"

"You performed during a talent competition together with Naruto and Shikamaru." Sakura replied. "That was way before I met Sasuke… and got together with you. Shikamaru was the keyboard/organ player…"

"That's right. And Naruto did the vocals."

Sakura giggled. She was a hell of a shock when she heard Naruto's voice… his voice was… cool. Hinata almost fainted when she heard his voice.

"He had voice lessons when he was still young." Neji said. "That's why we preferred for him to do the vocals."

"Sasuke wasn't there when you performed. Could he play an instrument too?"

"Bass Guitar."

"Really?"

"Really."

Sakura imagined Sasuke playing the bass guitar.

"Ooh! He looks so cool!" Sakura squealed as Neji cleared his throat. "What? You're jealous?"

"Clam it."

"Neji-kun's jealous!" Sakura taunted. "He's jealous!"

"I am not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Deny! Deny! Deny!"

"I'm not, I'm not, I'm not." Neji sighed. "I'm not jealous. Clam it. End of the story."

By night, Sakura and Neji went home to the Hyuuga Estate and Sakura was transferred unto her bed. Neji closed the balcony doors and curtains. He had to turn around because a servant helped Sakura change to her pajamas and when she was done, he accepted the towel and basin from a servant, wetted the towel and started wiping Sakura's face with it.

"You should keep your face clean." He mumbled and continued with his work.

"I'll kill you if I'll see a pimple on my face." Sakura said playfully.

"Oh really?" Neji looked closer. "Oh… is that a pimple?"

"What!" Sakura screeched and reached out to her pocket mirror on her bed side table and found nothing. "HEY! Don't joke around like that!"

"Vainglorious." Neji smirked and started to wipe her face with a dry towel. "I wonder how I fell in love with such a vainglorious woman."

"I am SO not vain and SO not boastful."

"Deny, deny, deny." He mocked.

"I'm not, I'm not, I'm not." She replied in a same mocking voice. Neji placed the basin aside as he sat cross legged beside Sakura. Sakura looked at him.

"Why don't you change and go to sleep? It has been a long day." Sakura said.

"I'm not that tired." He replied while stretching his arms. "Maybe I am but not that much."

A moment of silence…

"Hey Neji-kun."

"Hn?"

"Can I ask you guys a favor?"

Neji looked at her.

"Us… guys? You mean us?"

"Yeah, you, Sasuke, Shikamaru and… Naruto." Sakura smiled sweetly at him as she hugged his arm. "Please?"

"It depends on the favor." Neji looked at her. "What is it?"

Sakura grinned.

------

School festival

Sakura wore: Pink silk kimono with green accents (Neji wears green with SMALL pink accents)

Ino: The sterling blue kimono with white flower embroidered on it. White obi.

Hinata: Lavender kimono with pink cherry blossom flowers adorning it. Purple/Pink obi.

Tenten: Reddish/maroon silk kimono with ruby red obi.

Shikamaru: Sky blue kimono with cloud prints.

Naruto: Orange-y something kimono with white accents.

Sasuke: Bluish black kimono.

At a stand…

"Hey, where are the guys?" Ino asked while sipping on a strawberry shake. "I haven't seen them since the start of the event. Are they late or something?"

"Nope." Sakura can't help but giggle. She looked up and admired the full moon as she giggled again while imagining the guys. "They'll come out… soon."

"Do you know something about this Sakura?" Tenten asked with a raised brow while playing with her straw. "You kept on giggling since we met. What's up with you?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Nothing." She replied. "I just feel like it's going to be one hell of a night."

After ten minutes passed and the girls were getting bored so they decided to take a walk around. The girls walked around the stalls and they bought some items every now and then.

"Hey, look at this." Sakura pointed a ring and looked up at a nice looking saleslady. "Excuse me miss, is this pure silver?"

The ring was silver and it had a lavender colored gem on the middle with some leaves engraved on the sides. The ring also caught Hinata's attention too but she was too shy to mention it to her friends. She didn't even know why.

"Yes ma'am. And the stone's real too. Amethyst." She beamed at them. Sakura tapped her fingers together and looked at Hinata who was busy marveling at the beauty of the ring.

"Um, miss? Can I take a look?"

She nodded and took out the ring with its red box.

"Hinata, come here." Sakura motioned her as Hinata raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. "Do you think this will fit you?"

"Hn? Why are you offering the ring to Hinata, Sakura?" Tenten asked, confused.

"Um—maybe…" She took the ring and placed it on her ring finger. It was the perfect fit.

"Miss, I'll take it." Sakura took the ring from her hand and took the box. "No need for the wrapper. She's going to wear it anyway."

"Sakura, what's going on?" Ino asked.

"Don't worry guys; I'll buy you one when I'll find some colors that match you." Sakura replied. "Hinata was pretty attracted to the ring so I figured that I would buy it for her. But maybe I'll keep it for now… and—"she checked her watch. "Ooh! I'll be right back."

She zoomed away even before the girls could say anything.

"What—what's up with her?"

"Gah, she'll probably come back later and explain everything." Tenten sighed and placed one hand on her waist. "She better explain everything to us or else…"

-------

Sakura fast walked towards a stage where some people were already gathering. She went back stage and tried to find them and when she did, her tired face turned into an excited one.

-----

Ten minutes later…

"Guys! Guys!" Sakura yelled while waving at them. The girls were sitting on a cemented bench while eating an ice cream each. Sakura wiped the sweat off her face by a handkerchief and stood in front of them while wearing a big smile.

"Guys! Sorry I ran away just like that and—"

"Explain." Ino said in a stern voice. "We don't know what the hell's going on with you so you better explain Haruno Sakura. We're confused as hell right now."

"Yeah Sakura."

Hinata nodded. Sakura sweat dropped.

"Before that, do you remember the show that was going to be held tonight?" Sakura asked them. "You know…"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Let's see it first. And then you would know everything. Trust me. Promise." Sakura formed a cross on her neck. "You'll know every single thing."

"Promise?" The three chorused. Sakura nodded.

"Promise."

-----

"Here." Sakura pointed four vacant seats on the front row.

"You reserved some seats for us?" Ino asked as she sat down. From left to right were Tenten, Hinata, Sakura and Ino. "We're not even related to the participants or something like that."

Tenten looked at the back.

"I think the boys ditched us." She said in a sour voice.

"What!" Ino snapped. "They wouldn't DARE!"

"Ino! Ssshh! Let's worry about the boys later…"

Ino and Tenten stared at her.

"You should be the one angry since Neji's your boyfriend." Tenten replied. "I mean fiancée."

Sakura smiled.

"Neji promised me something. He will be late because he needed to do something, I don't even know what. He promised and a promise is a promise. It's not like Neji for him to break a promise, especially when it concerns me." Sakura replied with a happy sigh as the male emcee stepped in. "Ooh! It's going to start!"

"Why are you so enthusiastic about this anyway? It's not like there's going to be anything special in this program." Ino finished her ice cream. "Hey, is this a plan or what?"

Sakura didn't reply. She just listened to the emcee.

The emcee opened the program formally and all that blah-blah-blah, some speeches, some dance numbers until he came up on stage again and cleared his throat. He then announced the start of the talent portion.

The next thirty minutes was like hell for the three. They looked like they were ready to go down six feet under.

"Damn Sakura, we should leave. This is killing me." Ino cursed with her hands on her ears. The girl that was singing on stage had a really high pitched voice and it was killing their ear drums. The audience looked like they had the same opinion.

"Just two more." Sakura replied. "Two more and we'll leave."

"You're planning something aren't you?" Tenten said. "It's obvious Sakura so tell us what that is already. I can't tolerate her voice!"

"Fine! I'm planning something but you'll know soon!" Sakura replied in an annoyed tone. "So just listen and stop asking!"

Ten minutes later…

"The last candidate would be the all-time favorite, the SHINOBI!" The emcee said proudly as the girls squealed. Sakura was hiding a bubble of joy inside of her as the other three's jaws dropped.

"Sh-Shinobi? Isn't that Naruto's band?" Ino asked, flabbergasted. Her shocked voice turned into a super excited one. "OH MY GOD! THEY'RE GOING TO PERFORM! THEY'RE GOING TO PERFORM!"

"Geez Ino! Pipe down!" Tenten said, with the same excited voice.

The curtains went to the sides and everything was dark on stage but they could see them but it was a little bit vague.

"Gasp! Is that Shikamaru on the organ?" Ino asked, squealing.

Sakura could clearly see Neji behind the drums and she felt like squealing too. The girl's screams were making them deaf. Sasuke was trying to settle his bass guitar and Naruto was tapping his foot as though he was counting.

"1…2…3…" They heard Naruto's voice as the spotlight hit them.

The girls went wild (well, except the four).

"OH MY FREAKING GOD! IT'S REALLY THEM!" Tenten yelled. "LOOK HINATA! LOOK!"

Hinata looked like she was going to die. Sakura was cheering with Ino. Sasuke looked so cool and so hot at the same time while holding the guitar.

"This is dedicated to Hinata, the girl with navy blue hair in the front row." He smiled at her. Sakura, Ino and Tenten squealed as they shook Hinata who was VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY shocked. Her face turned red.

_Naruto's voice_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

The girls couldn't stop screaming. Hinata had her mouth slightly open and her eyes really wide. Neji smiled at Sakura as he played the drums coolly. Ino was cheering Shikamaru who was concentrating but he had a red face. Naruto was staring at Hinata while smiling while Sasuke looked nonchalant.

_I know that you are something special  
To you I'd be always faithful  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

When he sang the last part, he pointed Hinata, clenched his fist and placed it where his heart was located. Sakura, Ino and Tenten were going nuts. The girls were cheering on their respective favorite and some of them were even screaming Shikamaru's name.

"Sakura! This is awesome!" Tenten screamed.

_Your beautiful soul, yeah  
You might need time to think it over  
But I'm just fine moving forward  
I'll ease your mind  
If you give me the chance  
I will never make you cry cmon lets try_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

It was time for Sasuke's shining moment. He rocked on and played the guitar like a pro which made the girls go even crazier. Sakura blushed at the sight of him and couldn't believe that such a cool guy had loved her. Neji played along with Sasuke.

"WAAAHHH! SASUKE!" Ino screamed as Sasuke smirked. Sakura cheered for more never minding that she could lose her voice tomorrow.

_Am I crazy for wanting you  
Baby do you think you could want me too  
I don't wanna waste your time  
Do you see things the way I do  
I just wanna know if you feel it too  
There is nothing left to hide_

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul  
You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I wont let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

When he sang the part where he says 'I don't want another pretty face…', he pulled the mic from the stand and started to go down the stage. Neji was grinning, Shikamaru was slightly smiling, and Sasuke was smirking.

When they saw Naruto approach Hinata, everyone burst into screams and cheers. Ino, Sakura and Tenten backed away from Hinata a little bit and watched the two.

_You beautiful soul, yeah_

"Oh my God!" Ino was almost in the brink of tears. "That's so awesome! So sweet! So dramatic! The best proposal that I could ever imagine!"

Sakura couldn't stop grinning. Tenten signaled for the audience to keep quiet and after a few minutes, silence filled the area. And since it was an open space, some of the passer bys stopped to watch the romantic scene.

Sakura slowly approached Naruto and gave him the ring. Ino and Tenten gasped.

"So that was the purpose!" They yelled in unison as Sakura raised a finger on her mouth for them to keep quiet but she was grinning like a maniac.

Sasuke, Neji and Shikamaru watched.

Hinata still has the same facial expression as Naruto took a deep breath, held the mic firmly in his hand and looked at Hinata.

"Thanks Sakura." He nodded to her. "Hinata-chan, I hope you liked the song that I just presented to you. I didn't know how to say everything to you so I really had to find some help from the guys and from Sakura."

The boys nodded.

Naruto gave out a nervous laugh.

"So here I am, nervous as hell, in front of you and this… audience." He took a deep breath. "Just to tell you that… that I…"

"That you…?" Sakura, Ino and Tenten said anxiously.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered.

"I love you."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ino and the others screamed as the audience cheered and screamed with her. Hinata was already crying both in disbelief and in happiness as Naruto placed the ring on her finger. "GO NARUTO! THAT'S THE SPIRIT!"

"This is the best night ever!" Tenten clapped.

"Will you be my girl friend?" He asked through the noise but the audience quickly went in silence as they listened to Hinata's answer.

"You can do it Hinata!" Sakura and the girls cheered.

It took a while before she was able to speak again.

"Of c-course N-N-Naruto-kun…" She said in a weak voice.

Naruto hugged her. Everyone cheered again as they burst into screams, claps and whistles. The boys clapped, Sakura was on the brink of tears, Ino was crying while biting a handkerchief while Tenten was now the one grinning like a maniac.

"This…" Sakura whispered. "Is the start of Hinata and Naruto's story."

-----

A.N.: Review!


	36. Chapter 36

A.N.: Sorry if it took REAAALLLYYY long for me to update again… I was kinda busy with a game and I almost forgot about this story… Sorry bout that… " and… I noticed that this story is now pretty long…

-----

Shikamaru's house.

It was morning and the boys were all gathered around Shikamaru's living room. They were just lounging since Sakura and the girls had gone to the mall to shop.

"Ya know, I'll never understand why women go to the mall almost everyday." Naruto shook his head and took a sip of his soda. "I mean, aren't they tired of walking for hours and hours and hours…"

"Women and men are different Naruto." Shikamaru corrected him while lying on the longest sofa. Naruto was lying horizontally on the individual couch and Neji was sitting with his legs crossed on the other cough. Sasuke's sitting on the armrest of the long sofa.

"Speaking of women…" Neji sounded. "Hey Shikamaru, do you have a special someone? I mean, all of us have on and you're pretty secretive so we don't know who it is yet…"

With his statement, Shikamaru sighed. But before he could say anything, Naruto butted in.

"They said you had a crush on Ino but…"

Shikamaru perked up.

"They?"

Naruto coughed.

"I mean… we… and they… we presume and they…" Naruto scratched his head because he got confused himself. Neji sighed and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Sakura and her gang, except Ino, and us, presume that you like Ino." Sasuke explained for Naruto.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Naruto clasped his hands together.

Shikamaru stared at his friends before raising an eyebrow.

"You guys… presumed that I like Ino?"

Neji looked around as though the house was the most interesting thing in the world, Naruto resumed sipping his soda while Sasuke whistled a tuneless tune.

"Hey guys." Shikamaru barked. "Why the heck did you presume that I like Ino?"

Naruto cleared his throat.

"Weeeellll… you always blush when she's around and you can't even look at her straight in the eyes for just 5 seconds and you mostly stutter when you're talking to her…" Naruto explained while counting with his fingers. And then he slammed his hands on his lap. "But don't worry! It's just a guess… I mean, why would a genius guy like you like a girl with an attitude opposite to yours?" He said, thinking Shikamaru was mad.

Shikamaru stared at him as though he was crazy or something but then he shook his head.

"Opposites attract." Neji's voice trailed away but then his gazed fixed on Shikamaru again. "So is our guess true?"

Shikamaru blushed again and looked at the ceiling.

"Well…" He stammered. Naruto sat up.

"Oh no… Don't tell us…"

"It's true?" Sasuke asked, seeing Shikamaru's blush.

Neji smirked when Shikamaru 'hmphed' and looked away. Naruto jumped from his seat and stood beside Shikamaru, who was lying on the long sofa.

"You like Ino?!!!" Naruto asked, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Well, it's obvious." Neji rolled his eyes and smirked at Shikamaru who grabbed a pillow and smashed his face with it. "Come on Shikamaru, stop being discreet with us. We didn't even know you had a lot of secrets."

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed. Sasuke just nodded.

"Now why would I tell you guys about my secrets?" Shikamaru replied through the pillow, making his voice muffled. He then removed the pillow and looked at Naruto. "Secrets are meant to be kept."

"Kept…? Within friends, yes." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him.

Shikamaru groaned.

----

At the mall…

"Ino…" Sakura was now trying to keep herself standing since her feet ached a lot. And judging from Tenten and Hinata's faces, they're both tired as well.

"Yes?" Ino chimed, walking as though she had never walked before.

"Could we PLEASE have a break?" Tenten pleaded, pointing her feet. "I swear it's going to detach from my body any minute now."

Ino rolled her eyes and flipped her hair.

"Oh come on guys! We've only shopped for what?" She checked her wristwatch. "5 hours?"

Sakura and Tenten groaned loudly. Sakura glanced at Ino's shoes.

"You're amazing. You're the only one who's wearing heels right now and you aren't even tired." She mumbled.

After a few minutes, they saw a vacant bench and Tenten, unable to take it any longer, squealed and went to the bench as though it was a lifesaver. She sighed in relief.

"Me too!" Sakura ran to the bench and sat down. Hinata followed suit. Ino placed her hands on her waist and looked at her friends who looked like they were in heaven.

"Ugh! I can't believe you three!" She snapped. "Come on! We aren't even finished yet and there's a sale nearby!"

Tenten glared at her.

"You can go yourself." She snapped back. "Give us a chance will ya? We haven't even eaten anything yet." Tenten added while looking hungrily at the nearby food stand.

Hinata nodded.

"Please Ino-chan." She pleaded at Ino, who stared at them for a few minutes then rolled her eyes again.

"Fine. I'll go myself." She sighed. "Just send me a text message if you guys wanna meet up."

The three nodded.

"See ya." And she went off.

After five seconds…

"I swear I'm going to have cramps." Sakura sighed. "I feel like riding on a wheelchair again."

Hinata giggled.

"I wonder what the boys are doing right now." Tenten mumbled while looking at the humungous ceiling. "They said they're currently in Shikamaru's house."

"Yes they are. Naruto-kun called me earlier to…" Hinata stopped midway and blushed feverishly. Sakura gave her a sheepish grin.

"To…?" Tenten and Sakura looked at her. Hinata bowed her head down and was red as a tomato already. Sakura and Tenten inched nearer to the blushing teenager.

"To—check—check up on m-me." She stuttered.

It took a while before the information was digested into their brains.

"Naruto…called…to…check up on you?" Sakura echoed, wondering when Naruto became so… sweet. She heard Tenten laugh out loud beside her.

"What's so funny?" Hinata asked when Sakura chuckled.

"Hahaha! Woot! Naruto!" Tenten laughed. "I never thought he'd be sweet!"

When Tenten stopped laughing there was a moment of silence between the three…

"So!" Sakura sighed, looking at the food stand. "Who wants some food?!"

-----

Back at the boys…

Neji checked his watch.

"They've been gone for… about 5 to 6 hours or so." He mumbled. "What the hell's taking them so long?!"

Naruto was already sleeping at the sofa. Sasuke was looking out at the gardens with his hands clasped behind him. Shikamaru, of course, he's sleeping. So it's only him…and Sasuke.

Neji stretched his arms before turning at the Uchiha.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at the side.

"What?"

Neji crossed his arms. And it took a while before he spoke again.

"Have you found a special someone already?" He's been dying to ask this question because he's been praying and hoping that he already got over Sakura. It's awkward snuggling with her when you know you're friend is watching and… jealous.

Sasuke fell silent for a few minutes then sighed.

"No." He replied.

Neji leaned on the sofa in dismay. Did he love Sakura that much?

"I wonder why you didn't fight like Ran." Neji wondered. "I mean, Ran fought to get me and all and…"

"I'm not like her. I know Sakura's happy with you and because I love her… I let her go even though it's painful." He intervened. Neji's eyes widened at his words and his head hung helplessly. Now he feels guilty but there's nothing he can do.

The two fell silent again and felt comfortable with the silence.

"Sasuke, thank you." Neji sounded.

Sasuke smirked.

"You don't need to thank me Neji. What I did was not for free, there's a condition hanging with it." Sasuke faced him. "You expect me to do something like that without expecting something in return?"

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Condition?" Neji echoed.

Sasuke nodded.

"If you cannot fulfill this promise or condition, I would take Sakura right back from you permanently." Sasuke crossed his arms.

"What is your condition then?" Neji asked nervously, though he didn't let it show. Sasuke smirked and looked back at the scenery.

"It's simple, but hard at the same time."

Neji remained silent. Sasuke sighed.

"Take care of Sakura. Don't break her heart, don't let her suffer, don't make her cry, don't hurt her physically… emotionally… heck, even mentally." He said in a matter of fact tone. "Be responsible to her… handle her heart with care…those kind of things. You get my idea."

Neji sighed in relief.

"I thought it was something really hard."

"It is hard."

"Well…yeah… but you know I won't ever hurt her." Neji crossed his legs and rested his head on his hand. He turned to look at Shikamaru and much to his amazement, Shikamaru was awake, his eyes transfixed on the ceiling.

"Shikamaru? You're awake?" Neji asked as Sasuke looked at the lazy genius.

"I wasn't asleep. Just resting my eyes." Shikamaru replied lazily while scratching his head. "Damn Sasuke, that was something I didn't expect to come out of your mouth. I thought you were just an indifferent arrogant bastard with an ice sticking up to his ass."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"And I thought having a girlfriend like Sakura won't even change that." He sat up.

Sasuke smirked.

"Well for once, lazy ass, you were wrong." He replied coolly. Naruto turned around with a groan and continued snoring.

-----

The girls are currently eating in a table by the food stand.

"Ah! That hits the spot!" Tenten rubbed her stomach. "I feel good!"

Hinata nodded. Sakura drank some juice while watching several people pass by, not listening to Hinata and Tenten's conversation about food energizing them. Sakura's eyes landed by a toy store and found a large teddy bear, similar of what Sasuke bought but the bear's color was dark brown.

Hinata and Tenten continued talking.

"I thought I was going to die if I'm going to continue to walk with Ino. Damn, those legs of hers are amazing." Tenten cursed. Hinata giggled.

"She's a shopping addict, remember? It's natural for her to be like that Tenten-chan." Hinata replied and looked at Sakura who looked like she was in a deep reverie. When she followed the direction Sakura was looking at, she noticed the large bear.

'_That bear looks like the bear given to her by Sasuke-san.'_

She looked back at Sakura who sighed and resumed drinking her juice.

"Eh? What's the matter Sakura? You were really chirpy earlier on. What's with the sudden change?" Tenten asked while playing with her glass.

Sakura shook her head.

"It's nothing. Something just popped into my mind. That's all." She replied lowly.

RING! RING! RING!

Sakura scrambled to get her cell phone from her shoulder bag and saw Ino's number. She answered it immediately while Tenten and Hinata continued talking.

"Yup?"

"Where are you?"

She glanced at the food stand's name.

"Shoujo's food stand. East part of the mall. We're just sitting in one of the tables. You're done shopping already?" Sakura checked her watch. "About thirty minutes or so just passed…"

"Hmm… I wanna stroll around more but I need to eat something… I'll see you guys there in ten minutes." And before Sakura could reply, she hung up. Sakura sighed and placed her cell phone back at her bag. She faced her two other friends.

"Ino, she's coming."

"What? Already?" Hinata checked her watch. "I expected her to be gone for an hour or so…"

"She said she needs to eat something…"

"Well that's new." Tenten smirked. "She should be careful if she doesn't want to ruin her… so called 'perfect figure'."

"She can eat lots and walk it out while shopping." Sakura grinned.

-----

"Look at him." Shikamaru looked disgustingly at Naruto, who was still sleeping… (and snoring) (--,) . "I wonder how Hinata could bear him."

There was a moment of silence…

"You know what Shika?" Neji sighed. "I agree with what you said."

"Heck, I don't even know how or why Hinata fell in love with him." Sasuke said coldly and crossed his arms.

'I wonder how or why I fell in love with Sakura…' 

"Ah well, love and women are so complicated." Shikamaru leaned on the sofa. "I'd rather solve mathematical problems than try to understand them."

"They may be complicated…" Neji smirked. "But we can't live without them."

"That's not true." Shikamaru grinned. "We can, we can cook by ourselves, do the laundry by ourselves… do their work by ourselves… We can survive without them."

"But we won't be here talking…" Neji was cut off by Sasuke.

"Or arguing…"

"If it weren't for our mothers." Neji raised an eyebrow to make his point.

"Well…"

RING! RING! RING!

Neji looked at his cell phone and noticed Sakura's number.

"Finally."

-----

At Sakura…

"Hey… where are you now?" Sakura asked on the phone, smiling widely. They saw Ino coming towards their direction as Hinata and Tenten greeted her while Sakura only waved.

"We're in Shikamaru's house right now… Bored as hell." Neji replied.

"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you guys catch up on us?"

Back at Shikamaru's house…

"Hold on." Neji covered the receiver with his hand. "Hey, Sakura suggested for us to catch up on them… since we're bored as hell here… why don't we go?"

"Oh man…" Shikamaru smashed a pillow on his face. "It's too troublesome…"

Sasuke shrugged.

Neji put the phone on his ear again.

"Is Ino there?" Neji asked again. "She is…? Okay then…"

Then he covered the receiver and was about to say something but Shikamaru stood up.

"Ino's…"

"Let's go?" Shikamaru stretched his arms. "I changed my mind. My legs need some exercise."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yeah Right." Sasuke shook his head.

Neji grinned.

'_**I knew it.'**_

"We'll be there in… ten minutes…" Neji glanced at Naruto. "Make that fifteen to twenty…" He knew waking Naruto up would take some time. Naruto's a really heavy sleeper. Neji hung up on his phone and stared at his sleeping friend.

"What about him?" Shikamaru looked at Naruto.

"Leave him." Sasuke said monotonously and jammed his hands on his pockets.

Neji sighed, stood up and proceeded to where Naruto is sleeping. He started to poke and nudge the Kyuubi boy but he just groaned and turned around.

"Naruto… Oi. Wake up." Neji poked again and again but Naruto slapped his hand away. Naruto mumbled something about 'Evil Ramen thief' and 'Stop stealing my ramen'!

Sasuke approached them as he grabbed a pillow and hit him with it… hard.

"OI!" He yelled and hit him again.

Naruto grabbed a pillow and threw it back at him. Sasuke avoided it and hit him with it again… but to no avail. Shikamaru groaned.

"Damn." Neji cursed. Shikamaru went beside Sasuke.

"Let me." Sasuke stepped aside. Shikamaru scratched his head. "So Troublesome…"

He looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, please go to the door. Open the door on my signal."

"Why?" Sasuke seemed confused.

"Just do it."

Sasuke went to the door and held the doorknob. Shikamaru raised a hand as he opened the door. Then Shikamaru mouthed.

"Slam it."

Sasuke was confused but obliged on his orders nonetheless. He slammed the door, which perked up Naruto a little. Shikamaru turned his head.

"Hinata-chan? What brings you here?" Shikamaru said in a (fake) surprised tone. Neji smirked when he knew what Shikamaru was planning. He saw Naruto's body stiffen.

"I thought you were with Sakura at the mall…" Neji joined in.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shot up and wildly looked around. "Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke tried not to laugh at Naruto. He managed to go with a smile. Well, it's always Naruto's 'stupidity' that always makes him laugh and some other things as well…

"You dobe." Neji hit Naruto with a pillow. "Get up. We're going to catch up with the girls at the mall."

Naruto groaned.

"You guys are so unfair!" He yelled. "How could you…"

"Shut up Naruto… We did that to wake you up since you sleep like a mule." Shikamaru turned around. "Thanks Sasuke…"

Sasuke nodded.

Shikamaru and Sasuke headed to the door. After fixing himself up, Naruto followed them with Neji. They rode on Neji's car with Neji driving.

----

Sakura watched Ino eat as she talked with Tenten. Hinata looked bored, but she's also listening to Ino and Tenten's conversation together with Sakura. Sakura checked her watch.

"Hmm…"

'_**Ten minutes left…'**_

-----

At the car…

Neji's the one driving while Shikamaru is beside him. At the back were Sasuke and Naruto, who were both quiet. Neji was driving in a fast manner since there were almost no cars around as he swiveled around a corner and the mall was in sight.

Sasuke sighed in boredom. Shikamaru listened intently to the music that was playing on the radio…it was something mellow which almost made Naruto go to dream palace again.

"Hey Shika, change that music or you guys will have to drag me to the mall." Naruto sounded as Shikamaru sighed and changed the channel. The song was now RnB.

"That's better."

----

Sakura rested her arms and head on the table, already dozing off. She was really tired and the other three looked at her.

"What's up with you?" Ino asked, sipping some shake. "You look like you're ready to go six feet down under."

"I'm…tired…" Sakura moaned.

"You need more stamina girl." Tenten grinned. "Who knows? Maybe you and Neji would indeed end up together and you need more stamina and energy to bring forth the new generation of Hyuugas… if you know what I mean."

Sakura gave her a glare.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." She replied sarcastically. Ino chuckled.

"But it's true."

Hinata giggled.

"A guy needs a girl with stamina… especially those types similar to Neji." Ino explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "Or else the girl won't be able to catch up with the guy and all that…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell are you blathering?"

"Ahem. Speaking of guys, here they are." Tenten beamed. "Dang, Naruto looks like a rotten fish. What happened to him? No offense Hinata."

Sakura perked up and looked behind her and saw the guys walking towards them. Naruto and Neji gave their girlfriends a peck on their cheeks as they all sat down again but didn't order food because the boys said that they were already full.

"What did you girls do these past six hours?" Naruto asked. "Just shopping?"

"Yeah…" Ino chimed. "But we had some good buys!"

"Yeah Right. In exchange for our legs." Tenten stared at her. Hinata looked at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, you okay?"

Naruto sighed then gave Hinata a smile.

"I'm fine Hinata-chan!" he said cheerfully. Hinata smiled in relief as Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to him?" Sakura pointed Naruto with his thumb. "He looks terrible."

Shikamaru sighed. Neji smirked.

"He was sleeping when you called." Neji explain in Sakura's ear. "We kinda… woke him up. And got mad."

"Woke me up my ass! You tricked me!" Naruto burst.

"Tricked you? To wake you up. Same thing." Sasuke argued. "And besides, like what Shikamaru said, you sleep like a mule."

Ino just kept quiet judging her distance from Shikamaru (who is seated beside her). She just watched Sasuke and Naruto argue while hearing Shikamaru's constant whines of being bored. Sakura seemed to notice her silence a few minutes later… well, they all noticed it…

"Hey." Tenten poked Ino, who slapped her hand away.

"What?"

"What's wrong with ya?" Tenten asked. "You're quiet…for the first time."

Sakura looked at Shikamaru, to Ino and then back to Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked uncomfortable while Ino was fidgeting with her straw. The two refused to neither talk to each other nor just look at each other. Sakura grinned.

"Oh…" Sakura chuckled. "I see, I see."

"You see what?" Naruto asked and stared at Shika and Ino. "I don't see anything unusual."

"Baka, you're too literal." Sasuke spat coldly.

And they argue again.

Neji rolled his eyes while Sakura placed her head on her hands and grinned sheepishly at Tenten, who, after a few minutes of eye gesturing/signaling, got the idea.

"Ah!" Tenten burst. "I get it!"

"What are you guys signaling each other about?" Ino snapped making everyone fall silent. Shikamaru sighed and leaned his head on his hand while watching people pass by.

"Nothing…Nothing…" Sakura smiled and looked at Neji who just stared back.

Ino rolled her eyes.

"What…ever!" Ino exclaimed in a preppy tone and crossed her arms. "Hey girls, I've eaten enough…let's shop!"

Hinata, Sakura and Tenten stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" The three sounded, staring at her as though she was some kind of a weirdo. Sasuke shook his head.

"Unbelievable." Sasuke mumbled.

"Don't tell me you girls are still tired!" Ino asked in disbelief. "It's been an hour or more!"

"We've shopped for 5 hours Ino." Sakura sighed. "FIVE WHOLE HOURS."

"Yeah! So?" Ino grabbed her bag. "I've shopped for ten hours."

"Shopping addict." Naruto gaped.

"So what if I am? Shopping is also a great exercise." Ino replied cheerfully. "So you guys coming or what? Well…if you can take the walking."

"What do you take us for? Sissies who can't walk?" Naruto burst out and stood up. "Come on Hinata-chan."

Hinata stared at her boyfriend.

"Naruto-kun…"

Sakura stood up.

"Fine, fine. If we won't go, you would case some scandal or something…" Sakura growled and Neji stood up after her. "Darn it."

Shikamaru didn't say anything and stood up. So did Sasuke.

And they went off.

-----

Shikamaru's thoughts were drifted in a far away place while he looked at the displays of different kinds of shops. He was behind the group and was very quiet, even quieter than Sasuke, who, right now is having an argument with Naruto.

Sakura and Neji seemed to notice this. And so did Tenten.

"Hey Saku." Tenten whispered. "What's up with him?"

Sakura looked at Shikamaru who was obviously daydreaming. Ino was busy talking with Hinata while walking in front of the group. Sakura excused herself and walked slowly until she was beside Shikamaru, who noticed her.

"What's up with you?"

"Hn?" He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're not into yourself today…is something bothering you?" Sakura asked in a concerned tone. "You can tell me… I won't spill. Promise."

"You won't spill?" Shikamaru smirked. "You really know if someone's hiding a secret."

"It's a skill." Sakura giggled. "Well, anyway, tell me."

"Nah." Shikamaru shook his head. "It's not that important."

"Oh come on!" Sakura sighed. "Not important? You've been daydreaming since we started walking. I doubt that it's something not important…"

Shikamaru jammed his hands on his pockets.

"It's nothing important Sakura. So there's no need to concern yourself with it." Shikamaru replied coolly.

"I doubt it." Sakura giggled. "Come on! I would not stop annoying you if you won't tell me!"

"I don't care." Shikamaru smirked wider.

"Ow! You're mean!" Sakura lightly punched his arm. "Come on! Tell me! Tell me!"

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Te—"

"Say that again and I swear I won't talk to you ever again." Shikamaru warned. Sakura pouted. Shikamaru's eyes trailed towards Ino, who was busy talking.

Sakura grinned.

"It's about Ino… ne?"

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"What?" Shikamaru turned red. "How can you be so sure?"

"You're turning red." Sakura teased.

"I am so not."

"Yes you are."

"It's not about Ino ok? So let's just drop the subject." Shikamaru sighed. "Could you just go back to Neji?"

"I won't unless you tell me what's bothering you!" Sakura stomped her foot. "Why are you being so damn obstinate if it's something not important!"

"Then why are you so damn annoying? It's just not something important." Shikamaru returned with a cool tone.

"I said I'm ready to waste time." Sakura placed a hand on her waist. "And we're friends. So we need to tell each other about even the deepest secrets."

"We're not that close."

"You're so mean."

"I'm just stating facts."

Sakura stopped as Shikamaru continued walking. When he noticed that Sakura stopped, he looked back as he saw Sakura teary eyed.

"You don't treat me as a friend…" She sniffed.

'_Damn! Neji's gonna kill me if he'll know I made her cry!'_

Shikamaru looked back and prayed that Neji won't look back. He quickly went to Sakura.

"You're so shallow! I was joking!" He hissed.

"Well at least you should tell me." She pouted.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth in annoyance as he looked back and noticed that they were far behind the group.

"Fine! Fine! Let's go before Neji will see you in that state!" Shikamaru left as Sakura smiled and followed. "I wonder how Neji puts up with you."

"Like you said, women are complicated." Sakura giggled.

"How the hell did you know that I said that?"

"Well like duh, Neji told me."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as they were finally behind the group. Sakura placed her hands behind her.

"So! Ready to spill?"

Shikamaru sighed.

----

E.I.:YAAY! AT LAST! XD Sorry if this entry isn't that good since I'm getting faulty at writing..


	37. Chapter 37

A.N.:

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Sakura sighed as she went back and forth inside her room in the Hyuuga Estate while her right hand is behind her and her left hand is cupping her chin.

"Damn, what to do… what to do…"

She had been like that for ten minutes already.

Sakura sighed as she opened her balcony doors and looked at the full moon while still deep in thought. She closed the glass door (with white frames and gold painted knobs) and leaned on the marble railings. The view of the garden and the gates of the Estate were in sight. The street in front of the gates was deserted, because it is already ten in the evening.

"Hmmm…"

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Sakura opened the balcony doors and went inside her room.

"Who's there?" Sakura called out while walking towards the door.

"Sakura-chan? Honey?" Setsuko's head poked out from the door as Sakura opened the door fully for her. "Are you sure you don't want to eat dinner? Its already nighttime and it's not good for you to skip meals."

Sakura smiled.

"Mom, I'm going to be okay… I'm just full since we just came from the mall. We ate lots there." Sakura smiled sweetly at her. Setsuko's eyebrows raised.

"Ah, I see… But are you sure you don't wanna eat even just a little bit? I cooked your favorite anko dumplings!" She said happily. Sakura couldn't help but be touched at Setsuko's sweetness.

"Really?" Sakura was surprised. Setsuko knows how to cook?

"Ahuh! Let's eat together if ya want! I'm kinda hungry as well." She chuckled. Sakura thought Setsuko's efforts would just be a waste if she won't eat so without second thoughts; she went out of her room and followed Setsuko into the dining area.

Setsuko looked enthusiastic as ever.

---

Sakura ate her favorite food with delight as she chatted with Setsuko on the living room (they ate at the living room instead). Setsuko's dumplings weren't as good as her mother's but it was pretty good. Sakura drank some juice.

"Mom, where is Neji-kun? I haven't seen him since he ate dinner." Sakura ate a dumpling as Setsuko chuckled.

"He's at his room. I don't know what he's doing…but he looks exhausted though and I think he's asleep. You could visit him later if you want." Setsuko replied calmly. "Hey, about Neji-kun… how are you two doing?"

"We're fine." Sakura smiled. Setsuko's facial expression turned sad.

"What about…Sasuke-san?"

Sakura stopped eating.

"Sasuke…kun?"

Setsuko noticed Sakura's sad face as she immediately gasped.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sakura-chan! I didn't mean to…"

Sakura shook her head.

"It's okay Mom." Sakura smiled sadly. "It's okay…"

"You sure?"

Sakura nodded. There was a moment of silence between the two…

"Has…has he found somebody special yet?"

Sakura shrugged and continued eating.

"I haven't heard that he has somebody new… but I hope he will soon." Sakura wondered and ate a dumpling while her eyes were transfixed on the ceiling.

----

Tenten is currently walking down the park because she had an emergency errand from her mom. Her dad came home late from work and they didn't have any dinner left so her mom didn't have any other choice but to cook again. However, their supplies ran out as well… that's why she's there, cursing her head off while walking across the park, ignoring the people that were either in a lip lock or cuddling in the corner.

"Dammit." Tenten cursed. "It's so late at night and she had the nerve to let me go out at this time."

And so, she continued cursing.

"Tenten?" Someone broke her out of her insistent cursing as she turned her head and saw Rock Lee, her batch-mate. She remembers how obsessed he was about Sakura though the poor guy had been turned down for God-Knows how many. It's just those weird eyebrows that make people draw away from him. But he has some good aspects though; he's a genius at hardworking, uses formal language and is a gentleman.

"Lee." Tenten smiled and nodded to acknowledge him. Lee bowed to her. Formal as always.

"Good evening Tenten." He beamed. "What are you doing walking around this late at night?"

Tenten sighed and showed him the grocery bag.

"Grocery? At this time?" Lee raised an eyebrow. Tenten explained to him everything. When she was done, Lee nodded saying that he understood what she said.

"Well, if that's the case, since you're a girl, I would be glad to accompany you home." Lee offered to carry the bag for her but Tenten stared at him.

"Are you doing this because I'm Sakura's friend?"

Lee chuckled.

"Of course not. I'm just being a proper man oozing with youth that's all." Lee smiled thoughtfully. "Please, I insist on carrying the bag."

"Are you sure I won't be a burden?"

"No, no." Lee smiled. "I was bored so I went out anyways."

"Okay then. If you insist."

-------

And they walked down a dingy and almost dark street heading towards Tenten's house.

"Do you always pass by this street?"

"Only when it's still bright. I don't go out at night, whatever the reason is." Tenten beamed. "I'm not that crazy to go out when I know I'm a girl."

Lee smiled back.

"Thank you for accompanying me Lee. I really appreciate it."

Lee nodded.

"No problem."

And they continued to walk until they heard footsteps behind them. Lee turned his head but saw no one due to the darkness of the street. Tenten became stopped and became nervous. They continued on walking but Tenten walked closer to Lee, who was watching their surroundings carefully. All they could hear was cicadas and a dog howling a few feet away.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A voice sounded making them stop on their tracks.

A large man in a gangster attire came out with a baseball bat in his hand. When they saw him, Tenten gasped in horror while Lee's eyebrows met. Three other men appeared and four men appeared behind the two. Lee made Tenten hide behind his back but he still has that cool faced façade.

"Can you please step aside? You're on our way." Lee asked politely.

"What are you doing being polite to gangsters?!" Tenten hissed.

"Let me handle this Tenten."

The men burst out laughing.

"Sorry pipsqueak but I can't do that." The leader replied. "Unless you give up your money… OR that little pretty girl behind you. We could use her for the party tonight."

Tenten raised an eyebrow in fury.

'_Little GIRL?'_

Lee smirked.

"I'm sorry sir but I can't give you neither of your requests." He replied in the same polite manner. "I don't have money and I can't give the girl."

"Tch." The leader patted the bat with his hand. "I guess we'll just take our time having some "fun" with you. Would you mind that Mr. Gentleman?"

Lee smirked. Tenten looked at Lee.

'_How could he look so cool? We're in the middle of an "upcoming gangster attack" here! HELLO?! LEE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT SITUATION WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW?!'_

"Lee!" Tenten hissed but Lee ignored her. His eyes were transfixed primarily at the leader.

"Well Mr. Gentleman?" He grinned maniacally. "We need some exercise by the way, and I think a gentleman like you would be fun to beat up."

"Tenten, stay where you are and don't move." Lee whispered lowly.

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see. So don't move."

"Hey, hey! What are you two lovebirds whispering there about eh?" One of the gangsters grinned as few of them laughed. When Tenten heard this, she immediately turned red but Lee ignored the comment. It was though he was deep in though.

"I'm sorry but I can't let you beat me up or her as well." He moved to a fighting stance. His back straight, his left hand outstretched and his right hand curled behind him (his usual style). The gangsters laughed upon seeing this and the leader approached Lee, bent down until his face was only a few centimeters from his face. Tenten was already mortified.

"Are you going to fight back pipsqueak?" The leader teased. "Ooh, I'm scared."

Lee smiled.

"You should be."

And of he goes.

Tenten gasped when Lee literally swiped the big man off his feet and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. She was shocked and couldn't move until Lee twisted the man's arm and stepped on his head. It happened so fast that even Tenten was confused.

The man howled in pain as the remaining gangsters stepped back in shock.

"Pipsqueak you say?" He pulled the twisted arm (the man is on his stomach on the ground with the arm behind him). "I dare you to say that again mister."

"Lee!" Tenten gasped. A man was about to grab Tenten from the back when Lee appeared behind her, kicked the man in the face and hit him in the head with the leader's baseball bat.

"Touch her and you die." Lee turned to them. The remaining gangsters were cowering in fear. "I'm dead serious here. Let us pass."

Tenten was in too much shock to say anything or to even move.

The gangsters instantly cleared away as Lee dusted the dirt off his clothes, got the grocery bag and held Tenten's hand (who was still in shock). Lee and Tenten passed by them and walked towards her house.

"L—Lee!" Tenten stopped as Lee let go of her hand. The gangsters ran away, carrying their limp unconscious leader and wounded member. "What the hell happened back there?"

Lee blushed and his right hand was on his nape.

"Uh—Well, I fought back?"

Tenten stared at him for a few minutes.

"Um… a penny for your thoughts Tenten, you're scaring me." Lee said after two whole minutes of staring. Tenten gasped as she hugged Lee.

"THANK YOU!!! YOU WERE SO FREAKING COOL BACK THERE!!! THANK YOU FOR SAVING MY LIFE!"

Lee was in shock. A girl is hugging him!

Lee blushed into a deep shade of red as Tenten let go of him, looking relieved, enthusiastic.. he doesn't know.

"You're—Welcome." Lee stuttered back.

"How did you know Martial arts?!" Tenten asked, enthusiastic as ever.

"Gai-sensei taught me." Lee said proudly with a thumbs up and a flashy smile. Gai is their Gym Teacher btw.

"Really?"

Lee nodded.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Well, let's go? It's already late and I don't want you to be scolded by your mom."

And Tenten started interrogating Lee while walking down the street.

-----

Sakura walked up the stairs and into the corridor. When she reached Neji's room, she knocked on the doors but no one answered. So she just decided to go inside. The door was open anyway.

"Neji-kun?" She called but still, no one answered. "Neji-kun?"

She went inside with the door slightly ajar as her eyes landed on the bed and saw Neji, in his pants and shirt, asleep in his bed with his hair still tied. Maybe after they had dinner, he fell asleep due to exhaustion.

She smiled and walked towards her boyfriend.

"Awwww… Cute." She giggled and fixed Neji in a good position on the bed, untied his hair, and placed a blanket over him. She gave him a peck on the forehead before closing the open balcony doors. Neji moaned as he slightly opened his eyes and saw his girl friend closing the balcony doors.

"Sakura?" He called out in a hoarse tone and yawned. Sakura turned around and smiled.

"Hey Neji-kun, I just came in to check up on you since I haven't seen you since dinner. Mom and I had a light dinner earlier."

Neji placed an arm over his head. Sakura sat at the bed and smiled.

"Aren't you going to change to your pajamas?" Sakura suggested.

"Too…tired." He was going in and out of sleepiness.

"Okay." Sakura smiled lightly as she gave Neji one last peck on the forehead before leaving. But before she could stand up, a hand gripped her hand. Sakura looked back and saw his boy friend staring at her with his monotonous eyes.

"Can you sleep here please?" Neji pleaded with his weak tone. Sakura placed her free hand on her waist and raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

"I miss sleeping with you beside me." He sat up and yawned. "Please?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"As long as you take a small bath first and change into your pajamas I will." Neji released his grip and gave Sakura a face.

"I'm too tired."

"Well sorry lazy ass but if you don't do what I say…" Sakura smiled teasingly. "I…won't… sleep beside you!"

Neji groaned and fell back into his bed.

"Sakura, you're being mean."

"It's for your own good." Sakura hissed. "Well, I'm not being a mom here but at least take a bath and change."

Neji stared at her for a few minutes when Sakura outstretched a bath towel to him. After a few minutes of having a glaring contest with her, he gave up and took the towel while cursing his head off. Sakura giggled and went to the door.

"And where are you going?" Neji called out before entering the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a bath and change as well."

"Oh."

Sakura opened the door.

"Oh and Sakura."

"Hmm?"

Neji's head poked out from the door.

"Don't wear something too sexy 'kay?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…why?"

Neji went back into the bathroom.

"Don't wear them if you don't want to have kids before the wedding."

Sakura gasped.

"Eew! Pervert!"

"What? I'm just telling the truth!" He protested and slammed the door shut. "Women."

----

At Sasuke…

He is currently driving around town, bored out of his wits and is listening to a rock song on his radio. He wasn't on the mood on staying at his shitty home so he ventured out and decided to unwind a little bit. His right hand is tapping on the wheel as he turned into a corner.

But then, something suddenly passed by and his foot was forced to jam on the brakes.

'_What the fuck?'_

It was a…girl…

She had brownish hair with green eyes and she is wearing a school uniform, similar to theirs.

'_She just came home from school?'_

"YO!" She yelled and slammed her hand on the car. "Watch we're you're going!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

'_Déjà vu?'_

He didn't answer. Instead, he just stared at the girl in disbelief.

'_Is it me or is she a ripping attitude image clone of Sakura?'_

She stormed away. Sasuke could only stare at her. After a few moments of staring, he looked at his steering wheel.

"What just happened?"

----

"MA! I'M HOME!!!!!" Tenten yelled half happily and half annoyingly as her mom came rushing in.

"Tenten! What took you so long?!" Her mother stopped when she saw a man behind her. "And would you mind introducing me to your friend?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Tenten stepped aside. "Mom, this is Lee, a schoolmate of mind who just saved my life."

Lee bowed.

"Good evening ma'am. And nice to meet you."

Her mother looked at Tenten.

"Saved your life?"

After Tenten finished explaining…

"WHAT!" Her mom was flabbergasted. "GANGSTERS?!"

"GANGSTERS? WHAT GANGSTERS?" Tenten's father came rushing in looking an appalled face. "Honey, why are you yelling about… (sees Lee)… Oh…?"

"Your daughter was almost attacked by gangsters but Lee-san saved her!" Her mother wailed in a half grateful and half shocked tone. "Oh my God! Lee-san! Come in! Come in! Oh my God I can't thank you enough for saying my daughter! Come in!"

Lee shook his head.

"No, it's not necessary ma'am." He smiled. "I need to go anyway."

"No! We should thank you for saving out daughter!" Tenten's mother added. Tenten's dad was kinda confused but he just went with the flow. Tenten convinced Lee to stay for a moment.

-----

Sakura returned with some teddy bear pajamas and she saw Neji in his blue silk pajamas.

"So what about this?"

Neji turned his head.

"Hmm… Fine I guess."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She approached the bed and tucked in the blanket. "Good night."

Neji raised an eyebrow and went in the blanket as well.

"Err… good night."

And he reached out for the table lamp switch and turned it off. Sakura yawned and hugged a soft pillow while smiling.

'_It smells like Neji!'_

Neji is lying straight on his back while looking at the ceiling with an unexplainable look on his face. He looked at the side and saw his wife-to-be with her back facing him.

"Hey Saku."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open.

"What."

"I think I'm not sleepy anymore."

Sakura yawned.

"Good for you. Not for me." She closed her eyes again. Neji chuckled as he started to poke Sakura and she just slapped his hand away but continued on poking.

Sakura grew annoyed so he hit him with a pillow.

"What's the big idea?" She spat angrily and sat up. Neji just looked at her (he's still lying on the bed) and smirked.

"You're so grumpy tonight."

"So?"

"You have your period or something?"

Sakura glowered.

"That." She retrieved the pillow. "Is definitely none of your business."

Neji chuckled.

"So you do have your period."

"No." Sakura spat coldly. "Hey, if you don't have anything else better to do, force yourself to go to sleep or do something that doesn't concern on annoying me."

Sakura slammed her head against the pillow, covered herself with the blanket and shut her eyes. Neji sighed but he is still smiling.

-----

Sasuke stopped in front of the Hyuuga Estate and watched the house (or mansion) intently. The Estate was dark, meaning, maybe all of them are already asleep but the grounds are still filled with lights with some guards roaming here and there.

'_I wonder if she kept the bear I gave her…'_

And he drove off. Setsuko watched Sasuke's car leaved from the master's bedroom balcony as Hizashi hugged her from behind.

"Why the long face dear?" Hizashi whispered. Setsuko sighed and smiled sadly.

"Dear…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Sasuke-san will be able to get over Sakura-chan? He loved the girl very much…" Setsuko said softly. "It also pains me seeing other people get hurt because of love…"

Hizashi frowned.

"He may get over it someday…" Hizashi replied. "I hope."

Setsuko smiled.

"Look at what love can do."

They shared a moment of silence.

"Dear, are Neji and Sakura already asleep?" Hizashi asked softly. Setsuko giggled.

"Neji-kun made Sakura-chan sleep on his room." Setsuko replied. "They're probably sleeping right now."

At Neji's room…

"HA! TAKE THAT!" Sakura and Neji are currently having a pillow fight. Neji thought fought back as he tackled Sakura into the bed while Sakura was struggling but she was also laughing. Sakura hit him numerous times but when they fell at the bed, they stopped. Neji was on top with Sakura under him.

Neji pushed back some stray strands of hair from her face.

"Beautiful." He whispered while smiling. Sakura blushed a little bit.

"Damn, why are you so handsome?" Sakura spat back and chuckled. "No wonder girls go goo goo gaga over you."

Neji smiled wider.

"They liked me because of my physical appearance." Neji replied. "Not for who or what I am."

Sakura pinched his nose. Neji bent down and gave her a butterfly kiss. When he pulled away, Sakura smiled but her smile turned into a mean one as she reached for a pillow and hit him again.

"OW!" Neji sat up. "What did you do THAT for?!"

Sakura stuck her tongue out.

---

The next day…

"Good morning." Sakura chimed and sat down on her table.

"Morning Sakura-chan." Hinata greeted.

"Holla big forehead." Ino added.

"Morning pinky."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"When would you EVER greet me properly like Hinata?" Sakura walked towards them as Ino and Tenten smiled.

"Never." The two chorused. Sakura sighed.

"Hey, hey, big forehead! Guess what happened to Tenten last night!" Ino said in a half enthusiastic tone. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Judging from Ino's facial expression…? Hmm… You lost your V-Plate?" She grinned sheepishly. Hinata sweat dropped as Ino looked at her and burst out laughing. Tenten glared at her.

"HAHA! TENTEN ISN'T EVEN INTERESTED IN BOYS!" Ino said loudly.

"Ino-chan, not so loud, please." Hinata said politely.

"Shut the fuck up blondie." Tenten seethed, clearly pissed. Sakura sat down on one of the tables beside Tenten's seat.

"Okay, let's get serious. What happened?" Sakura grinned at Ino who was still snickering. Sakura saw Shikamaru looking at their direction with Naruto. Sasuke looked like…he was deep in his thoughts while Neji is sketching something on his notebook, bored as ever.

Tenten told her everything.

A moment of silence.

"You…were attacked by…gangsters?" Sakura hissed. "And…saved by Rock Lee?"

Tenten shyly nodded.

"Oh my God." Sakura gasped. "That's awesome!"

"Awesome on us being attacked or me being rescued?" Tenten grinned.

"Can I say both?" Sakura joked. "Nah, just joking. I mean, it's so cool for him to save you like that! I didn't even know he could do martial arts!"

"He said Sir Gai taught him."

"Wow. Really?"

Tenten nodded.

"Hey! You owe him a lot ya know." Ino winked. "So what's your plan on repaying him?"

"I dunno. We're good friends now." Tenten smiled. "Maybe I could repay him on being a good friend and also try to help him get over pinky here since white-eyes, no offense Hinata, has already fished her out."

Ino's eyes glittered.

"Get over Sakura?" Ino gasped. "Why don't YOU become the reason why he got over Sakura!"

Tenten stared at her.

"Point?"

Sakura smiled.

"She means, you're going to replace me in Lee's heart."

"That's a suggestion." Hinata interrupted.

Tenten's eyes widened.

"What?"

The three nodded.

"OH NO FREAKING WAY! YOU DO KNOW I'M NOT INTERESTED IN BOYS!"

"Oh but you can." Ino gave a menacing smile. "Unless you're a lesbian." She gasped. "ARE YOU?"

"NO!"

"Then it's highly possible." Hinata smiled sheepishly. Freaky.

"And we." Sakura looked at her two other friends. "Will take care of the rest. You just sit tight and be with him for the time being." She winked.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Tenten whispered to herself in horror as their first period teacher came in.

----

Tenten came back from an errand for a teacher and when she did, she saw the classroom deserted. It was already after class anyway but she expected for her friends to be there. However, the only person she saw was Rock Lee looking out the window.

Tenten knocked on the door beside her.

"Ahem."

Rock Lee turned around.

"Oh…hi Tenten." He's wearing a sad smile, which worried Tenten somehow. She rushed over to him with a worried face.

"What's up Lee? Why the long face?"

Lee sighed and looked over at the window. Tenten looked at him for a few seconds before taking a look. She saw Sakura, talking to Neji by the gate beside Neji's car.

"He has brains, brawns, physical appearance, money…" Lee stated. "He has everything… including…her."

Tenten looked at him. She felt pity for the poor guy.

"Me? I'm only good at taijutsu. Nothing else. I'm a weird idiot where everyone backs away because they judge me according to my physical appearance."

"No!" Tenten gasped as she made Rock Lee sit down on a chair. "No, don't say that Lee. Look, Neji may be all that but you're special in your own way! Maybe others don't see it yet."

"Really?" Lee looked at her with a sad face.

"Yes, really." She smiled and nodded. "And also, maybe Sakura isn't for you, maybe there's some girl out there that God had destined for you. We all find our soul mates, and that doesn't exclude you."

Lee smiled a little bit. Tenten sat down on the chair in front of Lee.

"And all those people who thinks your are a weirdo, let them think what they wanna think." Tenten said in a forceful tone. "People don't have the right to judge other people because no one is perfect. Just be yourself and be happy with your life! They're just insecure."

Lee smiled sadly.

"You're so nice Tenten." He smiled.

Tenten grinned.

"Anything for my friend!" She stood up and grabbed her bag. "So let's go!"

Lee stood up.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to treat you for ice cream. How's that?" Tenten winked.

-----

A.N.: Sorry if it took so long… and sorry if u guys got disappointed about Tenten and Lee's pairing but I have other plans for Sasuke. Read and Review and no flamers allowed!


	38. Chapter 38

A.N.:

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

----

Sasuke drove towards the school while listening to the radio. His mind was transfixed on the girl that he almost ran over last night. He felt that it was really weird. Her green eyes were seemingly similar to Sakura's eyes though she has long brown hair.

Sasuke shook his head.

"Damn." Sasuke hissed. "Stop thinking about that."

He sped up and parked his car at school. When he went out of the car, he ignored the giggles and usual chirpy greetings of "GOOD MORNING SASUKE-KUN!" of the girl and went to his classroom without another word.

When he reached the classroom, he instantly went to his seat with his usual gloomy face.

"Hey emo kid." Naruto called. "You look gloomier than usual."

"Sup Sasuke?" Shikamaru added.

Sasuke sighed and leaned on his seat.

"It's nothing."

Neji looked at him.

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the girls teasing Tenten about being with Lee since they heard Lee's name. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Rock Lee? The fuzzy browed guy?" Naruto asked.

"No one else." Shikamaru yawned.

"Are they together?" Naruto asked again. "With Tenten?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know about that." Shikamaru replied in a bored tone. "If they were, then there is no impossible thing in this world."

Neji smirked. Sasuke stared at the ceiling.

Their conversation was cut off when they heard the girls teasing Tenten to Lee. They knew it was Lee since they heard his name. This made the boys raise an eyebrow.

"Fuzzy brows?" Neji mumbled. "And Tenten?"

Naruto laughed out loud.

"That's impossible!" Naruto guffawed. "Tenten isn't even interested in boys!"

Shikamaru smirked.

"Or is she?" Shikamaru pointed the door.

----

The girls were busy teasing Tenten who was busy demanding that they were just friends when Sakura saw someone at the door. Sakura raised a brow and her smile turned into a sheepish grin.

"Speaking…" Sakura spoke as the others turned their heads only to see Lee craning his neck as though he was trying to find someone. "And I think I know who he's looking for…"

"HEY LEE!" Ino waved. Lee looked at them and instantly turned scarlet when he saw Sakura smiling at him. He started approaching the girls while they were teasing Tenten who was now blushing like a tomato. Lee greeted them formally as he sighed and looked at Tenten.

"Ano-sa… Ano-sa… Tenten-chan…"

Sakura and Ino looked at each other.

"Tenten-CHAN?!" they mouthed at each other as Hinata giggled. Tenten bowed her head down even more and Hinata can hardly see her face. But she could see Tenten's ears were red. Lee pulled out a bento box wrapped in a pink handkerchief.

"As a token of gratitude for yesterday, I made you lunch." He grinned. "I hope you'll like it."

Ino and Sakura stopped the urge of squealing but saved it for later. Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at the scene.

"Whoa…" Naruto gasped. "I didn't know Lee is considerate."

"You may have forgotten he's known as a gentleman Naruto." Neji answered him without taking his eyes off the scene.

"Yeah… I heard about that too." Shikamaru added while nodding.

Back at the girls…

"T-T-Thank you L-Lee…" Tenten stammered as she took the lunch box shyly. Lee gave him the 'nice guy pose' and bid goodbye to them all before leaving. When Lee closed the door, Sakura and Ino burst out laughing.

"OMG!' Ino guffawed. "You looked hilarious!"

Tenten was redder (if that is possible).

"Come on you guys, you've embarrassed Tenten enough." Hinata remarked as Ino and Sakura snickered when she comforted Tenten. Tenten's head was so low right now and Sakura could clearly say she's ready to go down six feet under.

"Why are you so embarrassed Tenten?" Sakura took the lunch box. "You're just friends right…?"

"Yeah, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Ino grinned as she looked over Sakura's right shoulder to see what was inside the lunch box. When she opened it, Ino and Sakura gasped.

"Oh my God!" Ino's eyes sparkled. "They all look yummy!"

Tenten snapped up and took the lunch box and looked inside. She gasped when she saw all of her favorite foods in it.

"But how did he… know?" She wondered and remembered that while she was chatting endlessly about herself in the ice cream parlor, she mentioned something about her favorite foods. She didn't even know Lee was listening!

"Gimme some!" Ino's eyes sparkled with glee. "Nah, joke. I have my own lunch…"

Sakura giggled as he eyes traveled to Shikamaru who was clearly staring at the blonde gal beside her.

"Oh yeah… I almost forgot." Sakura grinned.

----

By night… at the Hyuuga Estate…

"Where's Neji, Sakura?" Ino asked as she went inside Sakura's room. "I haven't seen him since this afternoon."

"He's strolling around town together with the boys as usual." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Really?" Ino looked around her room. "Hey is it me or has your room changed?"

Sakura looked back.

"Why did you say that?"

"I don't know… it's just different." Ino shook her head. "Well anyway, why did you bring me here?"

Sakura faced her.

"I wanna show you something." Sakura grinned. "Or rather, I have something to give to you."

"Give?" Ino's eyes sparkled again. Sakura nodded as she went to her closet and pulled out a black box. She then motioned for Ino to sit at the garden set in her balcony. When Ino sat down, Sakura closed the doors and gently placed the box on the table with a smug smile on her face.

"What's this?" Ino asked, pointing the box. Sakura held out her hand, gesturing for her to open the box.

"Open it."

Ino opened the box and saw, much to her absolute delight, a blue sparkly halter flowing dress. That dress was the one that she saw in a luxury store but she wasn't able to buy it since it was so expensive. She stared at it in awe… She remembered mentioning this dress to Sakura who looked like she was just half listening to what she was saying at that time.

"But why did you…"

"You almost forgot. Your birthday is in two days." Sakura crossed her arms. "I wanna give this as an early birthday present since I know you'll be busy tomorrow and I want to see you wear that."

"THANK YOU!!!!!!" Ino hugged Sakura. "THANK YOU BIG FOREHEAD!"

Sakura sighed.

"Geez, you're very welcome Ino." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Now get off me and sit down."

'_She still has the nerve to call me that even though I gave her the dress. Unbelievable.'_

Ino sat down happily as she continued to admire the dress. Sakura watched Ino admire the dress and after a few minutes, she cleared her throat.

"So I wanna know, how's your love life?" Sakura smiled. Ino looked at her, clearly surprised by the question as her smile faded away, sighed and slowly placed the dress back into its box.

"Terrible. Shika-kun hasn't talked to me for a few days now…" Ino sighed. "I wish we could be together before my birthday. If that would happen I would be the happiest girl in the entire world."

"Oh?" Sakura grinned. "Well… let's put it this way…if you do have the chance to talk to him, what would you say?"

Ino suddenly blushed and looked away. Sakura smirked.

"Come on, tell me. You owe me one by that dress anyway." Sakura chuckled. Ino gave her a face as Sakura returned it with a stern look and a raised eyebrow. After a few minutes of glaring contest, Ino gave up.

"Okay fine." Ino sighed. "Well first of all I would say how I've liked him for a very long time now and how much I admire him…"

Sakura nodded.

"And?"

"And how much I get jealous over girls that are flirting with him." Ino gave out a comical angry face. "Well that's kinda true…"

Sakura laughed.

"Wow… you really like him don't you?"

"LIKE? Well I did… but now I really LOVE him!" Ino had fire in her eyes.

"Well you said you 'liked' him."

"Wrong term." Ino gave out a sheepish grin and a peace sign.

"Okay you loved him for a very long time." Sakura giggled. "So that's why you want to be his girlfriend?"

Ino nodded.

"But I think it's impossible… I mean… look at me… I think he hates loudmouth girls." Ino became a pessimist again. "And maybe he hates kinky and preppy girls like moi."

Sakura smiled.

"Or does he?"

Ino looked at her. Sakura gave out a deep breath.

"Shika." She called; not taking her eyes off from Ino as Ino raised an eyebrow. "You can come out now."

'_What is she talking about?'_

Ino went pale as she felt something heavy in her throat and stomach. She instantly felt a large feeling of embarrassment as she gasped loudly. Shikamaru's here?!

"SAKURA! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Shikamaru came out from the shadows. It seems he was just sitting at the far corner of the terrace that was covered with hanging vines and he had a smirk on his face. Ino turned her head and much to her horror, Shikamaru's standing behind her with his hands on his pockets.

She looked back at Sakura.

"Sakura!" Ino gasped in horror. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Sakura stood up with a smug smile on her face.

"Shika, you heard everything right?"

Shikamaru smirked.

"Loud and clear Sakura." He grinned at Ino, who was blushing madly and didn't know what to do. Sakura went to the door and opened it.

"Now I'll leave you two to talk." She winked before closing the door and putting the curtains over it. Ino was flabbergasted and was mad at Sakura for doing this but she doesn't have time for that now. Sakura sighed dreamily as she giggled and yelled an "ALL RIGHT!".

Back at Ino…

Shikamaru sat down at Sakura's seat as Ino stood up.

"Don't even think about it." Shikamaru said. "The door's locked."

Ino went to the door and true, it was locked.

'_Oh no! What should I do! What should I do?!!!!'_

Instead, Ino just stood dumbfounded while staring at Shikamaru who was staring at the full moon while resting his head on his right hand.

"How long have you been there Shikamaru?!" Ino screeched.

"Long enough to hear everything."

"Why didn't you tell me you were there?!!" Ino yelled angrily as she stomped her foot.

"And miss that interesting confession?" Shikamaru chimed back. "You should have known better. Besides, this is all Sakura's doings. She made me come here earlier and Neji helped me."

'_So that's why I haven't seen him. DAMN YOU SAKURA!'_

"Damn you Sakura." Ino hissed. "I'll get you for this…"

Shikamaru stood up as he rested his hands on the balcony railings, his face illuminated by the moonlight. Ino couldn't help but admire how handsome Shikamaru is looking right now. Ino placed her hands behind her as she started playing with them.

Silence filled the area until Shikamaru broke the ice…

"Ino." She changed his position as his right hand traced the balcony railings while walking to the right. He stared at the moon with delight and with admiration but he had a serious look on his face. "Ino… did you really mean those words that you just said?"

Shikamaru looked at her but Ino looked away in embarrassment.

"Did you?"

Ino twiddled with her fingers.

"Uh… I… um… well…" She stammered, too embarrassed to say anything. Shikamaru smiled and thought of how cute Ino looked right now.

"Well?"

After a few minutes, she still didn't say anything. Shikamaru sighed, scratched his head and muttered 'troublesome' under his breath before walking towards the young blonde. Ino was surprised by this but was about to back away when she noticed that the door was behind her.

'_Oh damn.'_

"Come on, don't treat me like a monster or a ghost Ino." Shikamaru sweat dropped anime style. He scratched his head again. "Damn, I didn't know you were very bashful."

Ino perked up.

"Shut up." Ino spat back. "I'm not that shy."

Shikamaru smirked.

"Then why are you acting like Hinata?"

Ino rolled her eyes.

"I'm SO not acting like Hinata."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and pointed the twiddling fingers behind her. Ino sweat dropped anime style and cursed under her breath. There was another moment of silence and Shikamaru knew she wouldn't say anything else so he sighed again.

"Ino…" Shikamaru went back to the railings and leaned his two hands. If Ino won't say anything, he would have to do the talking instead. "You said something about me not liking loudmouth girls…"

Ino looked at him.

"Well…" Shikamaru smiled and looked at her. "You were wrong."

Meanwhile…by the tree adjacent to the balcony…

"Ow!" A branch hit Sakura's head. "Come on! Give me a break!"

"Sakura!" Neji hissed. "Come down here this instant!"

Sakura adjusted her camera. Finally, something as blackmail. She ignored Neji and snickered as she continued on filming. Fortunately, the tree was near enough for her to catch the audio. Neji sighed as he left.

"Give me your best shot."

Back at the 'couple'…

"You mean you…" Ino gasped. "Like loudmouth girls?"

Shikamaru smirked.

"Not exactly." He replied softly. "Just one of the loudmouth girls I know."

Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"I have a friend who's a loudmouth, a shopping addict and very annoying at times…" Shikamaru started. "But, I didn't know what happened…I just…fell in love."

Ino's eyes widened as she continued to listen.

"I never expected for me to fall in love again…especially when she sometimes acts like a brat." Shikamaru grinned. "But hell… fate does have peculiarities."

Ino's eyes sparkled…does this mean…?

'_No…don't jump to conclusions yet.'_

"Well…" Ino spoke. "I guess…that girl's lucky then…"

Shikamaru looked at her.

"Ino… come here for a sec."

Ino obliged and went beside him. Shikamaru smiled at her and cupped her chin. Ino was extremely surprised by his actions… who knew Shikamaru could be sweet!

"Well then…consider yourself lucky." Shikamaru grinned. "I loved you Ino for God-knows-how-long… have you even noticed that?"

Ino's eyes widened.

Back at the tree…

"Awwww…" Sakura hushed as she continued filming.

Back at the balcony…

"You do?" Ino's eyes started to sparkle and Shikamaru noticed how beautiful she looked like right now. Shikamaru smiled as he nodded.

"Yes I do."

Ino's eyes started to have tears as she kissed Shikamaru.

At Sakura…

"Aaaahhh… Love." Sakura grinned as she turned the camera so that it would face her. "That's all folks!"

And she turned off the cam.

-----

Next day…

"GOOD MORNING!!!!!!" Ino chimed happily and it seems she was floating in midair when she was walking to her seat.

Tenten and Hinata grinned.

"Did it go well?"

Ino looked at them.

"What?" Ino asked. "You mean you guys…"

Sakura grinned as she pulled out the cam.

"Well enough to go as blackmail." She snickered. Ino gasped as she grabbed her bag and started hitting Sakura and Tenten with it. "OWWW!! CUT THAT OUT!"

"YOU GUYS ARE SO MEAN! DO YOU KNOW HOW EMBARRASSED I WAS?!!!!!" Ino yelled while continue to hit them. "I SWEAR!"

Sakura and Tenten laughed as they raced out of the room. The boys watched them as Neji sighed and rolled his eyes. Shikamaru was asleep on his desk… but Neji thought maybe he's daydreaming. Naruto continued to tease Shikamaru but he ignored him. Sasuke's doodling in his notebook out of boredom.

When the girls returned, Ino was already exhausted as Sakura and Tenten panted but they were viewing something on the cam. Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at them and judging from the sound…he knew what it was.

"Sakura… she…" Shikamaru started to turn red as Neji went to look at the cam. He took the cam from Sakura when Ino started hitting her again as the boys looked at it. Shikamaru tried to get the cam but Naruto stopped him.

"WOOO!!!!!" Some of the boys screamed, including Naruto. "Who knew Shika had the balls?!"

Shikamaru tried to strangle free.

"Turn that off!" He protested.

They continued on doing that until their first period teacher, Asuma came in. He started scolding and threatened to get the cam if they won't stop. Neji gave him a nasty glare before hiding the camera. The girls were still giggling except Ino who was trying to fix her hair. Shikamaru was trying to fix his shirt though while giving Naruto a face.

"Okay!" He slammed his pointing stick several times at the table. "LISTEN!"

When everyone shushed down, he cleared his throat.

"Okay…" Asuma cleared his throat. "A student has been transferred to our room since their room was a little overcrowded already. This room has the smallest population since they are afraid of a certain 'group' here…"

He looked at Sasuke's group.

"But anyway, here she is."

Sasuke's eyes widen.

Sakura looked at Sasuke who was clearly shocked. The brown haired girl looked at Sasuke with much hatred in her eyes.

Sakura grinned.

"Here we go again…"

-----

THE END

A.N.: Sorry if that wasn't a good ending but I have to end the story since it's so freaking long now… Gomen " And thank you for tuning in this story you guys! Read and review! AND NO FlAMERS ALLOWED!

Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Love ya all and muwahugzzz…!

E.I.

P.S.: Wanna join a Naruto RP game? Go to http://z11. That's the game I've been addicted to. XD


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